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    Periodical Essays in 18 Century

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    Soma Biswas
    In the 18th century, British periodical literature underwent significant changes in form, content, and audience. When the Licensing Act expired in 1694, many new publications emerged across England and its colonies. Joseph Addison and Richard Steele produced influential periodicals like the Tatler, Spectator, and Guardian between 1709-1713. Their periodicals were casual in tone, concise, and covered a wide range of topics. They also pioneered new genres like the periodical essay and letters to the editor. Addison and Steele saw their publications as vehicles for moral instruction and viewed themselves as arbiters of taste. Their periodicals had a broad influence and inspired many imitators throughout the 18th century and beyond.

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    Periodical Essays in 18 Century

    Uploaded by

    Soma Biswas
    3K views2 pages
    In the 18th century, British periodical literature underwent significant changes in form, content, and audience. When the Licensing Act expired in 1694, many new publications emerged across England and its colonies. Joseph Addison and Richard Steele produced influential periodicals like the Tatler, Spectator, and Guardian between 1709-1713. Their periodicals were casual in tone, concise, and covered a wide range of topics. They also pioneered new genres like the periodical essay and letters to the editor. Addison and Steele saw their publications as vehicles for moral instruction and viewed themselves as arbiters of taste. Their periodicals had a broad influence and inspired many imitators throughout the 18th century and beyond.

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    Periodicals in 18th century

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    In the 18th century, British periodical literature underwent significant changes in form, content, and audience. When the Licensing Act expired in 1694, many new publications emerged across England and its colonies. Joseph Addison and Richard Steele produced influential periodicals like the Tatler, Spectator, and Guardian between 1709-1713. Their periodicals were casual in tone, concise, and covered a wide range of topics. They also pioneered new genres like the periodical essay and letters to the editor. Addison and Steele saw their publications as vehicles for moral instruction and viewed themselves as arbiters of taste. Their periodicals had a broad influence and inspired many imitators throughout the 18th century and beyond.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    3K views2 pages

    Periodical Essays in 18 Century

    Uploaded by

    Soma Biswas
    In the 18th century, British periodical literature underwent significant changes in form, content, and audience. When the Licensing Act expired in 1694, many new publications emerged across England and its colonies. Joseph Addison and Richard Steele produced influential periodicals like the Tatler, Spectator, and Guardian between 1709-1713. Their periodicals were casual in tone, concise, and covered a wide range of topics. They also pioneered new genres like the periodical essay and letters to the editor. Addison and Steele saw their publications as vehicles for moral instruction and viewed themselves as arbiters of taste. Their periodicals had a broad influence and inspired many imitators throughout the 18th century and beyond.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    IntheeighteenthcenturyBritishperiodicalliteratureunderwentsignificantdevelopmentsinterms

    ofform,content,andaudience.Severalfactorscontributedtothesechanges.Priorto1700the
    Englishpopularpresswasinitsinfancy.ThefirstBritishnewspaper,theOxfordGazette,was
    introducedin1645.TwoyearslatertheLicensingActof1647establishedgovernmentcontrolof
    thepressbygrantingtheGazetteastrictlyenforcedmonopolyonprintednews.Asaresult,
    otherlateseventeenthcenturyperiodicals,includingTheObserver(1681)andTheAthenian
    Gazette(1691),eithersupplementedthenewswithvariedcontent,suchaspolitical
    commentary,reviews,andliteraryworks,orprovidedspecializedmaterialtargetingaspecific
    readership.Duringthistime,printingpresstechnologywasimproving.Newerpresseswereso
    simpletousethatindividualscouldproduceprintedmaterialthemselves.Britishsocietywasin
    transitionaswell.Theburgeoningcommercialclasscreatedanaudiencewiththemeans,
    education,andleisuretimetoengageinreading.WhentheLicensingActexpiredin1694,
    publicationssprangup,notjustinLondon,butallacrossEnglandanditscolonies.
    JosephAddisonandRichardSteelearegenerallyregardedasthemostsignificantfiguresinthe
    developmentoftheeighteenthcenturyperiodical.Togethertheyproducedthreepublications:the
    Tatler(170911),theSpecator(171112),andtheGuardian(1713).Inaddition,Addison
    publishedtheFreeHolder(171516),andSteele,whohadbeentheeditoroftheLondonGazette
    (theformerOxfordGazette)from1707to1710,producedanumberofotherperiodicals,
    includingtheEnglishman(171314),TownTalk(171516),andthePlebeian(1719).Thethree
    periodicalsAddisonandSteeleproducedtogetherweregreatsuccessesnoneceased
    publicationbecauseofpoorsalesorotherfinancialreasons,butbythechoiceoftheireditors.
    Beginningintheeighteenthcenturyandcontinuingtothepresentday,therehasbeendebate
    amongcriticsandscholarsoverthecontributionsofAddisonandSteeletotheirjointenterprises.
    Addisonhasbeengenerallyseenasthemoreeloquentwriter,whileSteelehasbeenregarded
    asthebettereditorandorganizer.
    Periodicalsintheeighteenthcenturyincludedsocialandmoralcommentary,andliteraryand
    dramaticcriticism,aswellasshortliteraryworks.Theyalsosawtheadventofserializedstories,
    whichCharlesDickens,amongothers,wouldlaterperfect.Oneofthemostimportant
    outgrowthsoftheeighteenthcenturyperiodical,however,wasthetopical,orperiodical,essay.
    AlthoughnovelistDanielDefoemadesomecontributionstoitsevolutionwithhisReviewofthe
    AffairsofFrance(170413),AddisonandSteelearecreditedwithbringingtheperiodicalessayto
    maturity.Appealingtoaneducatedaudience,theperiodicalessayasdevelopedbyAddisonand
    Steelewasnotscholarly,butcasualintone,concise,andadaptabletoanumberofsubjects,
    includingdailylife,ethics,religion,science,economics,andsocialandpoliticalissues.Another
    innovationbroughtaboutbytheperiodicalwasthepublicationofletterstotheeditor,which
    permittedanunprecedenteddegreeofinteractionbetweenauthorandaudience.Initially,
    correspondencetoperiodicalswaspresentedinalimited,questionandanswerformof
    exchange.AsusedbySteele,letterstotheeditorbroughtnewpointsofviewintotheperiodical
    andcreatedasenseofintimacywiththereader.Thefeatureevolvedintoaforumforreadersto
    expressthemselves,engageinadiscussiononanimportanteventorquestion,conducta
    politicaldebate,oraskadviceonapersonalsituation.Steeleevenintroducedanadvicetothe

    lovelorncolumntotheTatlerandtheSpecator.
    AddisonandSteeleandothereditorsoftheeighteenthcenturysawtheirpublicationsas
    performinganimportantsocialfunctionandviewedthemselvesasmoralinstructorsandarbiters
    oftaste.Inpartthesemoralizinganddidacticpurposeswereaccomplishedthroughthecreation
    ofaneditorialvoiceorpersona,suchasIsaacBickerstaffintheTatler,NestorIronsideinthe
    Guardian,and,mostimportantly,Mr.SpectatorintheSpecator.Throughwitty,sometimes
    satiricalobservationsofthecontemporaryscene,thesefictionalstandinsfortheeditors
    attemptedtocastigateviceandpromotevirtue.Theytaughtlessonstoencouragecertain
    behaviorsintheirreaders,especiallyselfdiscipline.Moralswereaprimaryconcern,especially
    formeninbusiness.Women,too,formedapartofthereadershipofperiodicals,andtheywere
    instructedinwhatwasexpectedofthem,whatkindofidealstheyshouldaspireto,andwhat
    limitsshouldbeontheirconcernsandinterests.
    Theimpactofperiodicalswasbothimmediateandongoing.Throughouttheeighteenthcentury
    andbeyondthereweremanyimitatorsofAddisonandSteele'spublications.Thesesuccessors,
    whicharosenotjustinEngland,butincountriesthroughoutEuropeandintheUnitedStatesas
    well,modeledtheirstyle,content,andeditorialpoliciesonthoseoftheTatler,theSpecator,and
    theGuardian.Someimitators,suchastheFemaleSpectator(1744),weretargetedspecifically
    atwomen.AddisonandSteele'sperodicalsachievedabroaderinfluencewhentheywere
    translatedandreprintedincollectededitionsforusethroughoutthecentury.Theepistolary
    exchanges,shortfiction,andserializedstoriesincludedintheperiodicalshadanimportant
    influenceonthedevelopmentofthenovel.Inaddition,celebratedfiguresfromBenjaminFranklin
    andJeanJacquesRousseautoMarkTwainhaveacknowledgedtheimpactofthe
    eighteenthcenturyperiodical,particularlytheSpecator,ontheirdevelopmentaswritersand
    thinkers.

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