Two men, Addison and Steele,
contributed to the rise of a new literary form,
journalism, with their periodicals.

Joseph Addison (1672 - 1719)

Class 4B

Addison learned
early to write
and became
one of the
greatest stylists
of the
English language

• The Tatler
• The Spectator
• The English Journalism

God "raised up" Joseph Addison on this day May 1, 1672. He was born in England near Amesbury in Wiltshire in the heart of Old Wessex, not far from the Avon River. His health at birth did not give much assurance he would long survive, and so he was baptized the same day.

Strong moral influences surrounded him as a youth. Through both parents he was related to clergymen. His mother was sister to the Bishop of Bristol and his father became Dean of Lichfield while Joseph was still a youngster. Richard Steele visited the Addison home and considered the affectionate peace of its atmosphere worthy of recording in an issue of the Tatler newspaper.

Addison learned early to write and became one of the greatest stylists of the English language. His Latin poetry is considered among the best done by an Englishman. But his real fame comes from the "newspapers" he and Richard Steele produced together: The Tatler, The Spectator, and The Guardian.

These enjoyed a wide readership. Steele and Addison poked fun at all sorts of annoyances, large and small, such as giggling in church. For The Spectator Addison invented a fictional character named Sir Roger de Coverly. Through Sir Roger The Spectator became the conscience of England.
Addison's lively anecdotes exposed folly and suggested better behaviour.

Trained to become a priest, Addison never did so. Probably he would not have done well in the pulpit, for he was shy. The press became his pulpit. The climate of the day was such that the majority of Englishmen actually cared to improve their manners and morals. Addison and Steele became the chief architects of public opinion.

In addition to his satires, Addison wrote hymns which find a place in our hymnbooks still.

When all Thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view I'm lost
in wonder, love and praise.

On his deathbed, he was calm and courageous. He urged his nephew to "see how a Christian can die." The excellence of his writing ensures that his memory will not soon perish, for his essays are often included in anthologies of English literature.

• http://www.accd.edu/sac/english/bailey/addison.htm
• http://www.avsands.com/addison-av.htm