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The Spectator (1711)

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399:. Thomas Inkle, a twenty-year-old man from London, sailed to the West Indies to increase his wealth through trade. While on an island, he encounters a group of Indians, who battle and kill many of his shipmates. After fleeing, Inkle hides in a cave where he discovers Yarico, an Indian maiden. They become enamored with one another's clothing and physical appearances, and Yarico for the next several months hides her lover from her people and provides him with food and fresh water. Eventually, a ship passes, headed for Barbadoes, and Inkle and Yarico use this opportunity to leave the island. After reaching the English colony, Inkle sells Yarico to a merchant, even after she tells him that she is pregnant. Arietta closes the tale stating that Inkle simply uses Yarico's declaration to argue for a higher price when selling her. Mr. Spectator is so moved by the story that he takes his leave. Steele's text was so well known and influential that seven decades after his publication, George Colman modified the short story into a 295: 25: 391:, reports on how the cruelties of the transatlantic slave trade contribute to slave-produced goods such as tobacco and sugarcane. Mr. Spectator goes to speak with an older woman, Arietta, whom many people visit to discuss various topics. When Mr. Spectator enters the room, there is already another man present speaking with Arietta. They are discussing "constancy in love," and the man uses the tale of 78: 164:
in England, lasting from 1711 to 1712. Each "paper", or "number", was approximately 2,500 words long, and the original run consisted of 555 numbers, beginning on 1 March 1711. These were collected into seven volumes. The paper was revived without the involvement of Steele in 1714, appearing thrice
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was something that every middle-class household with aspirations to looking like its members took literature seriously would want to have." He hopes it will be said he has "brought philosophy out of closets and libraries, schools, and colleges, to dwell in clubs and assemblies, at tea-tables and
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was widely read; Joseph Addison estimated that each number was read by thousands of Londoners, about a tenth of the capital's population at the time. Contemporary historians and literary scholars, meanwhile, do not consider this to be an unreasonable claim; most readers were not themselves
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continued to be popular and widely read in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It was sold in eight-volume editions. Its prose style, and its marriage of morality and advice with entertainment, were considered exemplary. The decline in its popularity has been discussed by Brian McCrea and
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subscribers but patrons of one of the subscribing coffeehouses. These readers came from many stations in society, but the paper catered principally to the interests of England's emerging middle class—merchants and traders large and small.
274:, No. 10, "But there are none to whom this paper will be more useful than to the female world." He recommends that readers of the paper consider it "as a part of the tea-equipage" and set aside time to read it each morning. 278:
sought to provide readers with topics for well-reasoned discussion, and to equip them to carry on conversations and engage in social interactions in a polite manner. In keeping with the values of
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will aim "to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality". The journal reached an audience of thousands of people every day, because "the
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because one of the aims of the periodical was to increase the number of women who were "of a more elevated life and conversation." Steele states in
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to support his point. Arietta is insulted and angered by the man's hypocrisy and sexism. She counters his tale with one of her own, the story of
387:. Although the periodical essay was published on 13 March 1711, the story is based on Richard Ligon's publication in 1647. Ligon's publication, 834: 824: 451: 33: 829: 819: 327:
read the paper avidly as a teenager. It is said to have had a big influence on his world view, lasting throughout his long life.
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Cowan, Brian; Cornelis, Emilie (2022). "Contributors to the Tatler, Spectator, and Guardian periodicals (Act. 1709–1714)".
383:, Steele created a frame narrative that would come to be a very well known story in the eighteenth century, the story of 467: 497:
Addison and Steele are Dead: The English Department, Its Canon, and the Professionalization of Literary Criticism
670: 486: 378: 769:(BBC series by Elizabeth Kuti, adapted from and inspired by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele's 18th century 644:
The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry Into a Category of Bourgeois Society
540: 598:, Civic Enfranchisement, and the Rule(s) of the Public Sphere." In Newman, Donald J., ed. (2005). 435:, a current weekly British conservative magazine, which borrows its name from the 1711 publication 38: 599: 694: 424: 725: 526: 449:
is Donald F. Bond's edition in five volumes, published in 1965. Selections can be found in
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was also a reader, and the Spectator influenced his style in his "Silence Dogood" letters.
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English Trader, Indian Maid: Representing Gender, Race, and Slavery in the New World
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declares itself to be politically neutral, it was widely recognised as promoting
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weekly for six months, and these papers when collected formed the eighth volume.
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Bibliographical Notes on One Hundred Books Famous in English Literature
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Despite a modest daily circulation of approximately 3,000 copies,
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Eighteenth Century English Literature: Modern Essays in Criticism
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also had many readers in the American colonies. In particular,
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edition of the collected edition of Addison and Steele's
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A True and Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes
800:Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom 658: 594:Bowers, Terence. "Universalizing Sociability: The 266:coffee–houses". Women were a target audience for 791: 650: 785:; Addison, Joseph, 1672–1719; Internet Archive 626: 713: 689: 720:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. 460:Selections from The Tatler and The Spectator 604:, pp. 155-56. University of Delaware Press. 564: 545:The Open Anthology of Literature in English 282:philosophies of their time, the authors of 661:The Norton Anthology of English Literature 656: 452:The Norton Anthology of English Literature 76: 16:Daily publication in England, 1711 to 1712 286:promoted family, marriage, and courtesy. 647:. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 631:. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 14. 341:as instrumental in the formation of the 293: 257:In Number 10, Mr. Spectator states that 49:of all important aspects of the article. 840:1714 disestablishments in Great Britain 810:1712 disestablishments in Great Britain 717:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 792: 585:, Vol. I, p.31. Harper & Brothers. 169:, a cousin of Addison's, and the poet 45:Please consider expanding the lead to 763:(transcription of 1891 republication) 726:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.105462 541:"Joseph Addison & Richard Steele" 173:also contributed to the publication. 94:1711–1712: daily; 1714: thrice weekly 18: 835:Publications disestablished in 1714 825:Publications disestablished in 1712 372: 156:was a daily publication founded by 13: 683: 601:The Spectator: Emerging Discourses 345:in 18th century England. Although 14: 851: 741: 657:Greenblatt, Stephen, ed. (2006). 367: 830:Publications established in 1714 820:Publications established in 1711 565:Felsenstein, Frank, ed. (1999). 23: 462:(Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1982) 37:may be too short to adequately 815:1714 establishments in England 805:1711 establishments in England 635: 620: 607: 588: 573: 558: 533: 519: 47:provide an accessible overview 1: 665:(8th ed.). p. A49. 474: 299: 289: 734:UK public library membership 7: 767:Dear Mr Spectator, series 2 629:Benjamin Franklin in London 582:The Works of Joseph Addison 439: 410: 10: 856: 615:James Madison, A Biography 427:" in a public coffee house 641:Habermas, Jürgen (1989). 138: 120: 106: 98: 90: 75: 579:Addison, Joseph (1837). 512: 483:Nos. 1, 2, 10 , 1710–11. 445:The standard edition of 627:George Goodwin (2016). 252: 126:; 313 years ago 353:values and interests. 309: 527:"Information Britain" 425:Sir Roger de Coverley 297: 423:as being kicked by " 380:The Spectator, No.11 202:Addison & Steele 569:. Johns Hopkins UP. 508:ed. James Clifford. 393:The Ephesian Matron 298:Title pages of the 72: 458:Ross, Angus (ed.) 310: 194:Collected edition 124:March 1, 1711 68: 760:Project Gutenberg 732:(Subscription or 617:, 1971, pp. 39-48 329:Benjamin Franklin 250: 249: 149: 148: 64: 63: 847: 762: 737: 729: 710: 677: 676: 664: 654: 648: 639: 633: 632: 624: 618: 611: 605: 592: 586: 577: 571: 570: 562: 556: 555: 553: 551: 537: 531: 530: 523: 405:Inkle and Yarico 397:Inkle and Yarico 385:Inkle and Yarico 373:Inkle and Yarico 304: 301: 240: 236: 214: 210: 176: 175: 134: 132: 127: 99:Paid circulation 85:from 7 June 1711 80: 73: 67: 59: 56: 50: 27: 19: 855: 854: 850: 849: 848: 846: 845: 844: 790: 789: 747: 744: 731: 686: 684:Further reading 681: 680: 673: 655: 651: 640: 636: 625: 621: 613:Ralph Ketcham, 612: 608: 593: 589: 578: 574: 563: 559: 549: 547: 539: 538: 534: 525: 524: 520: 515: 504:, "Addison" in 477: 442: 419:, mentioned in 413: 375: 370: 335:Jürgen Habermas 302: 292: 255: 238: 234: 212: 208: 167:Eustace Budgell 144: 140: 130: 128: 125: 86: 60: 54: 51: 44: 32:This article's 28: 17: 12: 11: 5: 853: 843: 842: 837: 832: 827: 822: 817: 812: 807: 802: 788: 787: 779: 774: 764: 743: 742:External links 740: 739: 738: 711: 685: 682: 679: 678: 671: 649: 634: 619: 606: 587: 572: 557: 532: 517: 516: 514: 511: 510: 509: 499: 495:Brian McCrea, 493: 484: 476: 473: 472: 471: 468:0-14-043-130-6 456: 441: 438: 437: 436: 428: 412: 409: 374: 371: 369: 368:Notable essays 366: 291: 288: 268:The Spectator, 254: 251: 248: 247: 244: 241: 232: 229: 226: 222: 221: 218: 215: 206: 203: 200: 196: 195: 192: 189: 186: 183: 180: 162:Richard Steele 158:Joseph Addison 147: 146: 142: 136: 135: 122: 118: 117: 115:Richard Steele 111:Joseph Addison 108: 104: 103: 100: 96: 95: 92: 88: 87: 81: 62: 61: 41:the key points 31: 29: 22: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 852: 841: 838: 836: 833: 831: 828: 826: 823: 821: 818: 816: 813: 811: 808: 806: 803: 801: 798: 797: 795: 786: 784: 783:The Spectator 780: 778: 775: 772: 768: 765: 761: 757: 756: 753:The Spectator 751: 750: 746: 745: 735: 727: 723: 719: 718: 712: 708: 704: 700: 698: 692: 691:Henry W. 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Index


lead section
summarize
provide an accessible overview
The Spectator 7 June 1711
Joseph Addison
Richard Steele
Joseph Addison
Richard Steele
Eustace Budgell
John Hughes
Enlightenment

James Madison
Benjamin Franklin
Jürgen Habermas
public sphere
Whig
C. S. Lewis
The Spectator, No.11
comic opera
Inkle and Yarico
Bully Dawson
Sir Roger de Coverley
The Spectator
The Norton Anthology of English Literature
ISBN
0-14-043-130-6
The Spectator No. 11
C. S. Lewis

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