Facilitating Conversation in the Classroom

I was in class on Tuesday and came across a situation that was a little frustrating.
During a class discussion in my American Literature 1 class, a hush fell over the entire classroom, save myself.  I had read the literature and truly enjoyed it, so I was ready, willing, and able to discuss it.  There were about two other people who randomly had comments, but as a majority no one had anything to say in analysing the work. 
The professor obviously got perturbed by this lack of interest and conversation.  He commented, "You all look asleep or uninterested in this reading." 
As a student who read the material and was genuinely interested, I felt bad for dominating the conversation, and likewise felt bad for the professor for putting together a class room discussion that did not actually happen.   
How do teachers deal with facilitating conversation in the classroom when it is obvious that the students have either not read the material, or are not willing to openly discuss the topic during class.