About Addison and Steele

Q-THE  PERIODICAL  ESSAY   Introduction: The  periodical  essay  and  the  novel  are  the  two  important  gifts  of  "our  excellent and  indispensable  eighteenth  century"  to  English  literature.  The  latter  was  destined  to have  a  long  and  variegated  career  over  the  centuries,  but  the  former  was  fated  to  be born  with  the  eighteenth  century  and  to  die  with  it. This  shows  how  it  was  a  true  mirror  of  the  age.  A.  R.  Humphrey  observes  in  this connection: "If  any  literary  form  is  the  particular  creation  and the  particular  mirror  of  the  Augustan  Age  in England,  it  is the periodical  essay."   Generally  speaking,  it  is  very  difficult  to  date  precisely  the  appearance  of  a  new literary  genre.  For  example,  nobody  can  say  with  perfect  certainty  as  to  when  the  first novel,  or  the  first  comedy  or  the  first  short  story  came  to  be  written  in  England  or elsewhere.  We  often  talk  of  "fathers"  in  literature:  for  instance,  Fielding  is  called  the father  of  English  novel,  Chaucer  the  father  of  English  poetry,  and  so  forth.  But  that  is done,  more  often than  not  in  a  loose  and  very  unprecise  sense.  This difficulty  in  dating a  genre,  however,  does  not  arise  in  a  few  cases-that  of  the  periodical  essay  included. The  periodical  essay  was  literally  invented  by  Steele  on  April  12,  1709,  the  day  he launched  his  Taller.  Before  The  Taller  there  had  been  periodicals  and  there  had  been essays,  but  there  had  been  no  periodical  essays.  The  example  of  The  Taller  was followed  by  a  large  number  of  writers  of  the  eighteenth  century  till  its  very  end,  when with  the  change  of  sensibility;  the  periodical  essay  disappeared  along  with  numerous other  accompaniments  of  the  age.  Throughout  the  century  there  was  a  deluge  of periodical  essays.  The  periodical  essay  remained  the  most  popular,  if  not  the dominant,  literary  form.  Men  as  different  as  Pope,  Swift,  Dr.  Johnson,  and  Goldsmith found  the  periodical  essay  an  eligible  medium.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  was,  unlike  the novel  for  example,  the  only  literary  form  which  was  patronised  without  exception  by all  the  major  writers  of  the  century.  It  is  hard  to  name  a  single  first-rate  writer  of  the century  who  did  not  write  something  for  a  periodical  paper.  Mrs.  Jane  H.  Jack  says:  "From  the  days  of  Queen  Anne-who  had  The  Spectator  taken  in with  her  breakfast-to  the  time  of  the  French  Revolution  and even  beyond,  periodical  essays  onthe  lines  laid  down  by  Steele and  Addison  flooded  the  country  and  met  the  eye  in  every bookseller's shop  and  coffee-house." Before  tracing  the  history  of  the  periodical  essay  in  the  eighteenth  century  and assigning  causes  for  its  phenomenal  popularity,  let  us  consider  what  exactly  a periodical  essay  is.   What is  a  Periodical  Essay? What  is  called  the  periodical  essay  was  first  of  all  given  by  Steele  as  The Taller.  Nothing  of  this  type  had  before  him  been  attempted  in  England  or  even elsewhere.  However,  to  attempt  a  definition  of  the  periodical  essay  is  neither  easy  nor helpful.  George  Sherburn  in  ‘A  Literary  History  of  England’  edited  by  Albert  C. Baugh,  avers in  this connexion:   "Rigorous  definition  of  this  peculiarly  eighteenth  century  type  of  publication is not  very  heIpful... The  periodical  essay  has  been  aptly  described  as  dealing  with  morals  and manners,  but  it  might  in  fact  deal  with  anything  that  pleased  its  author.  It covered  usually  not  more  than  the  two  sides  (in  two  columns)  of  a  folipjialfsheet:  normally  it  was  shorter  than  that.  It  might  be  published  independent  of other  material,  as  was  The  Spectator,  except  for  advertising;  or  it  might  be the leading  article  in a  newspaper."   Reasons  for  the Popularity: The  periodical  essay  found  a  spectacular  response  in  the  eighteenth  century  on account  of  various  reasons.  Fundamentally  this  new  genre  was  in  perfect  harmony with  the  spirit  of  the  age.  It  sensitively  combined  the  tastes  of  the  different  classes  of readers  with  the  result  that  it  appealed  to  ail-though  particularly  to  the  resurgent middle  classes.  In  the  eighteenth  century  there  was  a  phenomenal  spurt  in  literacy, which  expanded  widely  the  circle  of  readers.  They  welcomed  the  periodical  essay  as  it was  "light"  literature.  The  brevity  of  the  periodical  essay,  its  common  sense  approach, and  its  tendency  to  dilute  morality  and  philosophy  for  popular  consumption  paid  rich dividends.  To  a  great  extent,  the  periodical  essayist  assumed  the  office  of  the clergyman  and  taught  the  masses  the  lesson  of  elegance  and  refinement,  though  not  of morality  of  the  psalm-singing  kind.  The  periodical  paper  was  particularly  welcome  as it  was  not  a  dry,  high-brown,  or  hoity-toity  affair  like  the  professional  sermon,  in  spite of  being  highly  instructive  in  nature.  In  most  cases  the  periodical  essayist  did  not "speak  from  the  clouds"  but  communicated  with  the  reader  with  an  almost buttonholing  familiarity.  The  avoidance  of  politics  (though  not  by  all  the  periodical essayists  yet  by  a  good  many  of  them)  also  contributed  towards  their  popularity. Again,  the  periodical  essayists  made  it  a  point  to  cater  for  the  female  taste  and  give due  consideration  to  the  female  point  of  view.  That  won  for  them  many  female readers  too.  All  these  factors  were  responsible  for  the  universal  acceptance  of  the periodical  essay  in  eighteenth-century  England: The History  of  the Periodical  Essay   "The Tatler": It  was  Steele's  Tatler  which  began  the  deluge  of  the  periodical  essays  which followed.  The  first  issue  of  The  Tatler  appeared  on  April  12,  1709,  at  that time  Addison,  Steele's  bosom  friend,  was  functioning  as  Secretary  to  the  Lord Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  in  that  country.  Steele  had  not  informed  Addison  of  his  design, but  if  he  desired  to  write  in  secret  he  was  not  lucky;  a  single  month  detected  him and  Addison's  first  contribution  appeared  on  May  26.  Though  Addison  contributed to  The  Tatler  much  less  than  Steele,  yet  he  soon  overshadowed  his  friend.  Of  the  271 numbers,  188  are  Steele's  and  42  Addison's;  36  of  them  were  written  by  both  jointly. The  rest  were  penned  by  others like  Tickell  and  Budgell.  Steele  spoke  of  himself  as…   "a  distressed  prince  who  calls  in  a  powerful neighbour to  his  aid," and  added:   "I  was  undone  by  my  auxiliary  [Addison]:  when  I had  once  called  him  in,  I  could  not  subsist without  him"   The  Tatler  appeared  thrice  a  week-on  Tuesdays.  Thursdays,  and  Saturdays,  that  is  the days  on  which  the  post  went  to  the  country.  As  regards  the  aim  of  the  paper,  we  may quote  the  words  of  Steele  in  the  dedication  to  the  first  collected  volume  (1710):   "The  general  purpose  of  this  paper  is  to  expose  the  false  arts  of life,  to  pull  off  the  disguises  of  cunning,  vanity,  affectation,  and recommend  a  general  simplicity  in  our  dress,  our  discourse  and our  behaviour." All  the  material  of  The  Taller  was  purported  by  Steele  to  be  based  upon discussions in  the  four  famous coffee-houses,  and  was  divided  as follows: (i)       "All  accounts  of  gallantry,  pleasure  and  entertainment"-White's  Chocolatehouse. (ii)        (iii)       (iv)       (v)        Poetry-Will's  Coffee-house. Learning-the  Grecian. Foreign  and  domestic  news-St.  James'  Coffee-house. "What  else  I  shall  on  any  other  subject  offer"-"My  own  apartment" The  chief  importance  of  The  Toiler  lies  in  its  social  and  moral  criticism  which had  a  tangibly  salubrious  effect  on  the  times.  Both  Addison  and  Steele  did  good  work each  in  his  own  way.  Addison  was  a  much  more  refined  and  correct  writer  than  Steele whom  Macaulay  aptly  calls  "a  scholar  among  rakes  and  a  rake  among  scholars." Addison's  prose  is,  according  to  Dr.  Johnson,  a  model  of  "the  middle  style."  And  this is his famous suggestion: "Whoever  wishes  to  attain  an  English  style, familiar  but  not  coarse,  and  elegant  but  not ostentatious,  must  give  his  days  and  nights  to  the volumes of  Addison." Steele,  on  the  contrary,  was  a  thing  of  moods  and  moments.  His  writing  has  a look  of  spontaneity  and  human  warmth  which  Addison's  lacks.  Comparing  Steele  and Addison,  George  Sherburn  maintains   "Steele's  prose  never  attained  the  elegant  ease  and correctness  of  Addison's,  and  yet  it  is  probable  that  his tendency  to  warm  to  a  subject  and  to  write  intimately  and personally,  as  the  reader's  friend,  contributed  much  to  the success  of  the  paper.  Addison's  best  essays  are  the  result of  his  slightly  chilly  insight  into  the  typical  mental attitudes  of  his  day." Later  critics  are  apt  to  place  Steele  higher  than  Addison.  Thus  Leigh-Hunt,  for instance,  affirms  that  he  prefers  "Steele  with  all  his  faults"  to  "Addison  with  all  his essays."   "The Spectator": Without  any  warning  to  his  readers,  Steele  suddenly  wound  up  The  Taller  on January  2,  1711.  But  two  months  later-on  March  1,  1711-The  Spectator  began  its memorable  career  of  555  numbers  up  to  December  6,1712.  Whereas  The  Tatler  had appeared  only  three  times  a  week.  The  Spectator  appeared  daily,  excepting  Sundays. The  new  paper  became  tremendously  popular  among  English  men  and  women belonging  to  all  walks  of  life.  The  best  of  all  the  periodical  essays,  it  is  an  important human  document  concerning  the  morals  and  manners,  thoughts  and  ideas,  of  the English  society  of  the  age  of  Queen  Anne.  Addison's  fame  chiefly  rests  on  The Spectatorpapers.  As  A.  R.  Humphreys  puts it:   "Were  it  not  for  his  essays,  Addison's  literary  reputation  would be  insignificant;  into  them,  diluted  and  sweetened  for  popular consumption,  went  his  classical  and  modern  reading,  his  study of  philosophy  and  natural  science,  reflections  culled  from French  critics,  and  indeed]  anything  that  might  make  learning "polite"'. A  particularly  happy  feature  of  The  Spectator  was  its  envisagement  of  a  club consisting  of  representatives  from  diverse  walks  of  life.  Among  them  Sir  Roger  de Coverley,  and  eccentric  but  thoroughly  lovable  Tory  baronet,  is  one  of  the  immortal creations  of  English  literature.  The  Spectator  drew  a  large  female  readership  as  many of  the  papers  were  for  and  about  women.  Though  both  Addison  and  Steele  were Whigs,  yet  in  The  Spectator  they  kept  up  a  fairly  neutral  political  poise  and,  in  fact, did  their  best  to  expose  the  error  of  the  political  fanaticism  of  both  the  Tories  and Whigs.  Further,  The  Spectator  evinced  much  interest  in  trade  and,  consequently, endeared  itself  to  the  up-and-coming  trading  community  which  had  its  representative in  The  Spectator  Club-4he  rich  Sir  Andrew  Freeport.  However,  much  of  the  charm  of The  Spectator  lay  in  its  style-humorous,  ironical,  but  elegant  and  polished.  The  chief importance  of  The  Spectator  for  the  modern  reader  lies  in  its  humour.  As  A.  R. Humphrey  reminds  us,  The  Spectator  papers  are  important  much  more  historically than aesthetically.   Q-  Compare  and  contrast  Addison  and  Steele  as  essayist  on  the  basis  of  their essays  prescribed for  study.  (May-2010)   Introduction:- “Steele  was  the  more  original  and  Addison  the more  effective.  As  a  comparison  between  the  two writers is almost  inevitable.” -  H.V.  Routh. Joseph  Addison  (1672-1719)  and  Richard  Steele  (1672-1729)  are  the founders  of  the  modern  English  essay  as  well  as  modern  English  prose.  Both  Steele and  Addison  aimed  at  easy  and  free  flowing  expression  and  that  was  the  style  the  18th century  needed  with  the  expansion  of  England’s trade  and  industry. The  Augustan  view  of  life  was  almost  wholly  phenomenal  W.L.  Phelps says…. “Now,  if  there  was  anything  the  Augustan hated,  it  was  enthusiasm;  they  were  simply bored  by  it  as  the  man  of  the  world  is  bored by the native unsophisticated….” raptures off the The  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  as  a  class,  avoided  any  subject  that demanded  an  appeal  to  cold  intellect:  and  these  were  by  far  satirical,  didactic  and argumentative. In  each  preceding  age,  the  master  pieces  were  poetry  but  before  the  middle  of the  18th  century  we  find  prose  far surpassing  poetry…. “The  elegant  and  reformed  manners  of  the town  dominated  literature.  Nature  was methodized  and  both  the  universe  and  the state  were  set  working  with  the  precision  of  a well  regulated  watch.” As  regards  the  improvement  of  English  prose  Steele  and  Addison  occupy  an important  position.  They  were  the  first  to  combine  good  style  with  attractive  matter. And  thus  to  convey  a  prose  ideal  to  a  much  wider  circle  than  had  any  one  done  before and  further they  diffused a  taste  for  knowledge  as  none  previously  had  done. The  contribution  of  Steele  and  Addison  was  of  nearly  equal  extent.  Addison wrote  thirty-eight  more  than  Steele,  while  forty-five  were  done  by  occasional correspondents.  The  lead  was  taken  by  Addison  with  his  description  of  the “Spectator”  and  Steele  followed  with  his  six  portraits  of  the  members  of  the  spectator club. A  new  chapter  opened  when  on  April  12,  1709,  the  first  number  of  a  new periodical  “The  Tatler”  appeared.  It  was  specially  intended  for  the  frequenters  of  the coffee  houses.  Their  numbers  were  eagerly  read  at  these  newly  established  centers throughout  coffee  houses. On  January  2,  1711  the  last  issue  of  “The  Tatler”  was  announced  and  on  March 1,  1711  appeared  the  first  number  of  ‘The  spectator’  to  which  Joseph  Addison contributed  many  articles.  We  cannot  but  quote  a  wonderful  passage  from  one  of  the articles  which  will  bring  out  the  philosophy  of  Addison  and  Steele: “It  was  said  of  Socrates  that  he  brought philosophy  down  from  heaven  to  inhabit among  men;  and  I shall  be  ambitious  to  have it  said  of  me  that  I  have  brought  philosophy out  of  closets  and  libraries,  schools,  to  dwell in the clubs,  at  tea-coffee  houses.” In  the  spectator,  the  method  of  Addison  and  Steele  is  that  of  a  preacher  who does  no  violence  to  human  nature.  At  bottom,  the  idea  that  they  seek  to  inculcate  is  of the  art  of  living  together,  the  duties  of  family  life,  the  status  and  part  of  women,  in society,  such  are  the  subjects  touched  upon  by  this  universal  adviser.  In  the  words  of Cazamian... “The  variety  of  subject,  a  supple  adaption  to the preferences  of  the  public  at  the same  time sufficiently  skillful  reaction  against  certain habits,  certain  defects,  a  harmony  with obscure  instinct  of  middle  class  minds-  such are  the  major  reasons  for  the  success  of spectator.” The  most  famous  of  Addison  and  Steele’s  productions  are  their  papers  that appeared  in  the  spectator  describing  a  typical  country  gentleman,  Sir  Roger  de Coverley  who  is  over  thirty.  The  character  of  Sir  Roger  forms  the  ground  work  of Coverley  papers. Sir  Roger  de  Coverley  is  an  idealized  country  gentleman  of  softened characteristics  and  broad  sympathies.  The  outline  of  the  figure  was  first  traced  out  by Steele  and  filled in  by  Addison  with  delicate  touches. “The  keen  indiscrimination  satire  of  the generic  description  has  given  away  to  the gentle  atmosphere  of  humor  that  envelops and  illumines the character  of  Sir Roger.” Surrounding  Sir  Roger  there  are  numerous  other  characters.  There  is  captain sentry,  a  man  of  unquestioned  energy  and  personal  courage.  There  is  a  lawyer  who  is sick  of  his  profession.  The  spirit  of  the  coverley  papers  is  most  clearly  seen  in  the figures of  Sir  Andrew  Freepart,  the  merchant. Addison  is  remarkable  among  satirists  because  he  intended  his  humor  to  be ‘Remedial’,  to  induce  human  feelings  to  forsake  the  wrong,  and  to  become  more kindly.  His  humor  is  that  kind  that  makes  one  smile  rather  than  laugh  aloud.  His essays  helps  to  impart  a  moral  tone  to  British  society,  he  castigated  the  manners  and foibles  of  society.  In  fact,  he  was  the  most  genial  teacher  of  wisdom  to  the  people  of his age. The  contribution  of  Steele  as  an  essayist  may  be  considered  superior  to  that  of Addison  in  that  it  was  Steele  who  initiated  the  joint  venture  ‘The  Tatler’  and  ‘The Spectator’.  Steele  stated the  purpose  of  the  Tatler as  follows:   “The  general  purpose  of  this  paper  is to  expose  the  false  art  of  life,  to  puff off  the  disguise  of  cunning,  vanity, and  affection  and  to  recommend  a general  simplicity  in  our  discourse and  behavior.” Most  of  Steele’s  essays  are  didactic  in  nature.  He  intended  to  bring  about  a reformation  of  contemporary  society  manners  and  life.  Steele  was  able  to  produce originality  in  his  essays.  “The  Tatler”  was  the  result  of  his  idea.  His  creative imagination  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the  Spectator  club.  Addison  contributed to  the  development of  the  characters of  spectator  club.   Conclusion:- In  this  way,  the  contribution  of  Addison  and  Steele  through  their  joint  venture of  the  periodical  essays  is  of  much  importance  with  basic  purpose  of  reform  the contemporary  society