What was The Spectator?

The Spectator was a periodical published in London from 1711 to 1712, and briefly revived in 1714, by essayists Richard Steele and Joseph Addison . It followed The Tatler , which Steele had launched in 1709. Aimed at enlivening morality with wit, and tempering wit with morality, The Spectator used a fictional "Spectator Club" to express the authors’ ideas about society. The papers were presented as written by Mr. Spectator, an observer of London. Though Whiggish, it avoided party-political controversy, valuing urbanity and taste beyond political differences. Its success was immediate, influencing the rise of the English novel and promoting polite social interaction.

Who created The Spectator and when was it published?

The Spectator , a periodical, was created by essayists Sir Richard Steele and Joseph Addison . Published in London, it first appeared daily from March 1, 1711, to December 6, 1712, and was revived by Addison in 1714 for 80 numbers. A key to The Spectator 's success was its concept that urbanity and taste were values that went beyond political differences. Poet and dramatist John Gay observed that Mr. Spectator had “come on like a Torrent and swept all before him”.

What type of content did The Spectator include?

The Spectator , published in London (1711–1712), aimed "to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality". To achieve this, it adopted a fictional presentation through a "Spectator Club," whose imaginary members extolled the authors’ own ideas about society. The periodical included discussions of the latest fashions, serious disquisitions on criticism and morality, and critical essays in which Joseph Addison sought to elevate public taste. The papers were ostensibly written by Mr. Spectator, an “observer” of the London scene. The conversations that The Spectator reported were often imagined to take place in coffeehouses, which was also where many copies of the publication were distributed and read. Given the success of The Spectator in promoting an ideal of polite sociability, the correspondence of its supposed readers was an important feature of the publication.

How did The Spectator influence readers in 18th-century Britain?

The Spectator , published in London between 1711 and 1712 by essayists Richard Steele and Joseph Addison , aimed "to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality". The periodical adopted a fictional presentation via a "Spectator Club," whose imaginary members extolled the authors’ ideas about society. Written ostensibly by Mr. Spectator, an "observer" of London, the publication reported conversations imagined to take place in coffeehouses, where it was also distributed and read. Though Whiggish, The Spectator avoided party-political controversy, promoting urbanity and taste as values transcending political differences. Its success in promoting polite sociability made reader correspondence an important feature. Contributors like Alexander Pope joined Addison and Steele in lifting serious discussion from religious and political partisanship, making it a normal pastime of the leisured class and setting the vogue for periodicals.

How did The Spectator reflect and shape ideas about society and manners in its time?

The Spectator , a British periodical published in London from 1711 to 1712, aimed "to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality". Through the fictional "Spectator Club," Richard Steele and Joseph Addison extolled their ideas about society. The periodical promoted urbanity and taste as values transcending political differences. By avoiding religious and political partisanship, The Spectator made serious discussion a normal pastime for the leisured class, influencing manners and society by establishing ideals of behavior and standards of good taste.

The Spectator

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The Spectator

Q: Why is The Spectator considered important in the history of magazines and newspapers?

The Spectator , published by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in 1711–1712, is considered important in the history of magazines and newspapers because it lifted serious discussion from the realms of religious and political partisanship and made it a normal pastime of the leisured class. The Spectator adopted a fictional method of presentation through a "Spectator Club," whose imaginary members extolled the authors’ own ideas about society. The publication set the pattern and established the vogue for the periodical throughout the rest of the century and helped to create a receptive public for the novelists, ensuring that the new kind of prose writing should be essentially serious. Because of its fictional framework, The Spectator is sometimes said to have heralded the rise of the English novel in the 18th century.

British periodical [1711–1712]

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Top Questions

What was The Spectator?
The Spectator was a periodical published in London from 1711 to 1712, and briefly revived in 1714, by essayists Richard Steele and Joseph Addison. It followed The Tatler, which Steele had launched in 1709.

Aimed at enlivening morality with wit, and tempering wit with morality, The Spectator used a fictional "Spectator Club" to express the authors’ ideas about society. The papers were presented as written by Mr. Spectator, an observer of London. Though Whiggish, it avoided party-political controversy, valuing urbanity and taste beyond political differences. Its success was immediate, influencing the rise of the English novel and promoting polite social interaction.
1 Britannica Source
1. The Spectator
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Who created The Spectator and when was it published?
The Spectator, a periodical, was created by essayists Sir Richard Steele and Joseph Addison. Published in London, it first appeared daily from March 1, 1711, to December 6, 1712, and was revived by Addison in 1714 for 80 numbers.

A key to The Spectator's success was its concept that urbanity and taste were values that went beyond political differences. Poet and dramatist John Gay observed that Mr. Spectator had “come on like a Torrent and swept all before him”.
1 Britannica Source
1. The Spectator
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What type of content did The Spectator include?
The Spectator, published in London (1711–1712), aimed "to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality". To achieve this, it adopted a fictional presentation through a "Spectator Club," whose imaginary members extolled the authors’ own ideas about society. The periodical included discussions of the latest fashions, serious disquisitions on criticism and morality, and critical essays in which Joseph Addison sought to elevate public taste.

The papers were ostensibly written by Mr. Spectator, an “observer” of the London scene. The conversations that The Spectator reported were often imagined to take place in coffeehouses, which was also where many copies of the publication were distributed and read. Given the success of The Spectator in promoting an ideal of polite sociability, the correspondence of its supposed readers was an important feature of the publication.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did The Spectator influence readers in 18th-century Britain?
The Spectator, published in London between 1711 and 1712 by essayists Richard Steele and Joseph Addison, aimed "to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality".

The periodical adopted a fictional presentation via a "Spectator Club," whose imaginary members extolled the authors’ ideas about society. Written ostensibly by Mr. Spectator, an "observer" of London, the publication reported conversations imagined to take place in coffeehouses, where it was also distributed and read.

Though Whiggish, The Spectator avoided party-political controversy, promoting urbanity and taste as values transcending political differences. Its success in promoting polite sociability made reader correspondence an important feature. Contributors like Alexander Pope joined Addison and Steele in lifting serious discussion from religious and political partisanship, making it a normal pastime of the leisured class and setting the vogue for periodicals.
2 Britannica Sources
1. The Spectator
2. The Spectator
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why is The Spectator considered important in the history of magazines and newspapers?
The Spectator, published by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in 1711–1712, is considered important in the history of magazines and newspapers because it lifted serious discussion from the realms of religious and political partisanship and made it a normal pastime of the leisured class.

The Spectator adopted a fictional method of presentation through a "Spectator Club," whose imaginary members extolled the authors’ own ideas about society. The publication set the pattern and established the vogue for the periodical throughout the rest of the century and helped to create a receptive public for the novelists, ensuring that the new kind of prose writing should be essentially serious.

Because of its fictional framework, The Spectator is sometimes said to have heralded the rise of the English novel in the 18th century.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did The Spectator reflect and shape ideas about society and manners in its time?
The Spectator, a British periodical published in London from 1711 to 1712, aimed "to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality". Through the fictional "Spectator Club," Richard Steele and Joseph Addison extolled their ideas about society.

The periodical promoted urbanity and taste as values transcending political differences. By avoiding religious and political partisanship, The Spectator made serious discussion a normal pastime for the leisured class, influencing manners and society by establishing ideals of behavior and standards of good taste.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The Spectator, a periodical published in London by the essayists Sir Richard Steele and Joseph Addison from March 1, 1711, to Dec. 6, 1712 (appearing daily), and subsequently revived by Addison in 1714 (for 80 numbers). It succeeded The Tatler, which Steele had launched in 1709. In its aim to “enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality,” The Spectator adopted a fictional method of presentation through a “Spectator Club,” whose imaginary members extolled the authors’ own ideas about society. These “members” included representatives of commerce, the army, the town (respectively, Sir Andrew Freeport, Captain Sentry, and Will Honeycomb), and of the country gentry (Sir Roger de Coverley). The papers were ostensibly written by Mr. Spectator, an “observer” of the London scene. The conversations that The Spectator reported were often imagined to take place in coffeehouses, which was also where many copies of the publication were distributed and read.

Though Whiggish in tone, The Spectator generally avoided party-political controversy. An important aspect of its success was its notion that urbanity and taste were values that transcended political differences. Almost immediately it was hugely admired; Mr. Spectator had, observed the poet and dramatist John Gay, “come on like a Torrent and swept all before him.”

Because of its fictional framework, The Spectator is sometimes said to have heralded the rise of the English novel in the 18th century. This is perhaps an overstatement, since the fictional framework, once adopted, ceased to be of primary importance and served instead as a social microcosm within which a tone at once grave, good-humoured, and flexible could be sounded. The real authors of the essays were free to consider whatever topics they pleased, with reference to the fictional framework (as in Steele’s account of Sir Roger’s views on marriage, which appeared in issue no. 113) or without it (as in Addison’s critical papers on Paradise Lost, John Milton’s epic poem, which appeared in issues no. 267, 273, and others).

Given the success of The Spectator in promoting an ideal of polite sociability, the correspondence of its supposed readers was an important feature of the publication. These letters may or may not, on occasion, have been composed by the editors.

In addition to Addison and Steele themselves, contributors included Alexander Pope, Thomas Tickell, and Ambrose Philips. Addison’s reputation as an essayist has surpassed that of Steele, but their individual contributions to the success of The Spectator are less to the point than their collaborative efforts: Steele’s friendly tone was a perfect balance and support for the more dispassionate style of Addison. Their joint achievement was to lift serious discussion from the realms of religious and political partisanship and to make it instead a normal pastime of the leisured class. Together they set the pattern and established the vogue for the periodical throughout the rest of the century and helped to create a receptive public for the novelists, ensuring that the new kind of prose writing—however entertaining—should be essentially serious.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.

The Spectator

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