The greatness of a literary artist, like the greatness of any other artist, does not depend merely upon style or the method by which he expresses himself. It has also to depend upon the matter or content------i.e., what he is expressing. The thought, the ideas, and feelings have to be profound and deep as well. Jeremy Taylor, Thomas, Dr. Johnson, Carlyle and Ruskin are a few names that occur when we think of truly great prose writers in English. These writers did not merely have 'great styles ; they also had profound and original thoughts and ideas and convictions which lend an added force to their style. Their thinking is what one can call deep.

Addison's merit is his style, not his matter:

When we read Addison's essays, we are at once impressed by the lucid and clear style of writing, simple and at once dignified, familiar and yet refined. But one can not deny the fact that he is not a very original thinker and he is also not a deep thinker. What he puts forward in the essays, are really superficial matters and nothing that requires profound thought. As he himself says, he is concerned with those trivial vices which were beyond the scope of law and religion. As such the content of his essays are "trivial" and even upon these he does not offer any original ideas or view-point. Thus we can justly say that Addison's merit lay in the developing of an elegant and fluent and simple prose style rather than in formulating and communica-ting an original and profound outlook on the world and life in general.

Addison's thinking is correct and just:

What Addison offers in his essays, is no doubt correct and just. What he says regarding the various follies of the fashionable females of his times, his remarks upon the drawbacks of the contemporary stage, etc., exhibit his rational and sane outlook. What he says, strikes us as the voice of rationality and moderation, as the outlook of a truly reasonable and sensible man. But no one can find in the essays an original or deeply philosophical thought or idea. He said in his essays what a certain section of society was feeling. He organised a public opinion. But what originality there is in the essays actually came from the inspiration of his collaborator, Steele. Addison is quite superficial as far as his thinking goes, though he is "just".

Satire limits the scope of any writer

Satire as a form of writing, has its limitations. Addison has been recognised to be a delectable, though a most humorous satirist. He has taken it upon himself to expose the absurdities of society in order to reform it. A satirist does build his reputation on the fact that he sees and exposes the absurdities of others by ridiculing them. Most often it does not give him an opportunity or need to think deeply or philosophically, though there have been satirists who have shown, in their satire, their originality and power of thinking. But Addison's satire is directed against minor lapses, trivial vices and follies, and this makes it even more superficial though we cannot depreciate its humour or its effectiveness in having brought about a social reform.

A look at the objects of his satire will prove the contention that while he thinks " correctly " and "justly" there is no depth to this thought ; his subject does not allow for this depth. In a set of essays, he attacks the absurdities of the contemporary stage. In another, the most ironical group, he attacks the foibles of women. He ridicules their dresses, volubility, and their coquettish use of fans. He satirises the trivialities that occupy people in general. He attacks immoderation in every field.

Unerring judgement, humour, but nothing profound:

Whatever he satirises, he shows clear and keen judgement. No one can find fault with his taste or his correct views. One also appreciates the keen and humane sense of humour that informs all the essays. We still enjoy the delectable irony which is the essence of this humour but we find nothing truly penetrating or of great profundity in the essays. Neither is the thought forceful and vigorous enough to affect us in an intellectual light. There is a "certain triteness" of thought even in an essay like Meditations in the Abbey, as Hugh Walker observes.

A lay preacher : not a prophet:

The didactic essays too show a certain lack of intellectual force which would be the driving energy behind the sayings of every great seer or prophet. Addison's moral lessons are commonplace and, though no one can deny their correctness and reasonableness, there is nothing original about them. One can merely appreciate the fact that what many thought Addison was able to put forward in elegant and fluent language. His moral lessons are made up of trite ideas like "Be cheerful", " Be steadfast and not inconstant ", " Ridicule should not hurt anyone particular", "Be content with what you have", and so on. There is really nothing in this to call profound or creative; it fully qualifies him for the title of 'lay preacher' and not for a seer or a prophet.

Characterization:

It is true that in the Dr Coverley essays we have some of the best characterization. Characters such as Will Wimble and Sir Roger and Sir Andrew Freeport are made to 'live' and not just represent a few set types or qualities. But again here it is Addison's skill which is commendable and not so much his greatness of thinking or his ideas. After all it was Steele who originally hit upon the idea of the Spectator club and made the initial sketches of the members. It is true, however, that it was Addison who took up these bare outlines and developed them, especially Sir Roger, into the figures as we have come to know. He does indeed exhibit a certain vitality and ability in his characterization but this is not of the class of deep thinking that we associate with a profound and deep writer. Addison is certainly no deep and serious philosophical thinker. His style is the " middle style " and Hugh Walker agrees with Dr. Johnson that Addison lacked that energy of thought, that "highest energy, intellectual and moral" which finds its expression in an energetic and forceful, and even violent style. We can not help but endorse the opinion of Dr. Samuel Johnson that Addison "thinks justly, but he thinks faintly".

'The greatest English prose writers are great not only by virtue of their style, but also by virtue of the profundity of their outlook on the world ". Elaborate and discuss with reference to Addison?

Literaturemini | August 29, 2019 | 0 comments

The greatness of a literary artist, like the greatness of any other artist, does not depend merely upon style or the method by which he expresses himself. It has also to depend upon the matter or content------i.e., what he is expressing. The thought, the ideas, and feelings have to be profound and deep as well. Jeremy Taylor, Thomas, Dr. Johnson, Carlyle and Ruskin are a few names that occur when we think of truly great prose writers in English. These writers did not merely have 'great styles ; they also had profound and original thoughts and ideas and convictions which lend an added force to their style. Their thinking is what one can call deep.

Addison's merit is his style, not his matter:

When we read Addison's essays, we are at once impressed by the lucid and clear style of writing, simple and at once dignified, familiar and yet refined. But one can not deny the fact that he is not a very original thinker and he is also not a deep thinker. What he puts forward in the essays, are really superficial matters and nothing that requires profound thought. As he himself says, he is concerned with those trivial vices which were beyond the scope of law and religion. As such the content of his essays are "trivial" and even upon these he does not offer any original ideas or view-point. Thus we can justly say that Addison's merit lay in the developing of an elegant and fluent and simple prose style rather than in formulating and communica-ting an original and profound outlook on the world and life in general.

Addison's thinking is correct and just:

What Addison offers in his essays, is no doubt correct and just. What he says regarding the various follies of the fashionable females of his times, his remarks upon the drawbacks of the contemporary stage, etc., exhibit his rational and sane outlook. What he says, strikes us as the voice of rationality and moderation, as the outlook of a truly reasonable and sensible man. But no one can find in the essays an original or deeply philosophical thought or idea. He said in his essays what a certain section of society was feeling. He organised a public opinion. But what originality there is in the essays actually came from the inspiration of his collaborator, Steele. Addison is quite superficial as far as his thinking goes, though he is "just".

Satire limits the scope of any writer

Satire as a form of writing, has its limitations. Addison has been recognised to be a delectable, though a most humorous satirist. He has taken it upon himself to expose the absurdities of society in order to reform it. A satirist does build his reputation on the fact that he sees and exposes the absurdities of others by ridiculing them. Most often it does not give him an opportunity or need to think deeply or philosophically, though there have been satirists who have shown, in their satire, their originality and power of thinking. But Addison's satire is directed against minor lapses, trivial vices and follies, and this makes it even more superficial though we cannot depreciate its humour or its effectiveness in having brought about a social reform.

A look at the objects of his satire will prove the contention that while he thinks " correctly " and "justly" there is no depth to this thought ; his subject does not allow for this depth. In a set of essays, he attacks the absurdities of the contemporary stage. In another, the most ironical group, he attacks the foibles of women. He ridicules their dresses, volubility, and their coquettish use of fans. He satirises the trivialities that occupy people in general. He attacks immoderation in every field.

Unerring judgement, humour, but nothing profound:

Whatever he satirises, he shows clear and keen judgement. No one can find fault with his taste or his correct views. One also appreciates the keen and humane sense of humour that informs all the essays. We still enjoy the delectable irony which is the essence of this humour but we find nothing truly penetrating or of great profundity in the essays. Neither is the thought forceful and vigorous enough to affect us in an intellectual light. There is a "certain triteness" of thought even in an essay like Meditations in the Abbey, as Hugh Walker observes.

A lay preacher : not a prophet:

The didactic essays too show a certain lack of intellectual force which would be the driving energy behind the sayings of every great seer or prophet. Addison's moral lessons are commonplace and, though no one can deny their correctness and reasonableness, there is nothing original about them. One can merely appreciate the fact that what many thought Addison was able to put forward in elegant and fluent language. His moral lessons are made up of trite ideas like "Be cheerful", " Be steadfast and not inconstant ", " Ridicule should not hurt anyone particular", "Be content with what you have", and so on. There is really nothing in this to call profound or creative; it fully qualifies him for the title of 'lay preacher' and not for a seer or a prophet.

Characterization:

It is true that in the Dr Coverley essays we have some of the best characterization. Characters such as Will Wimble and Sir Roger and Sir Andrew Freeport are made to 'live' and not just represent a few set types or qualities. But again here it is Addison's skill which is commendable and not so much his greatness of thinking or his ideas. After all it was Steele who originally hit upon the idea of the Spectator club and made the initial sketches of the members. It is true, however, that it was Addison who took up these bare outlines and developed them, especially Sir Roger, into the figures as we have come to know. He does indeed exhibit a certain vitality and ability in his characterization but this is not of the class of deep thinking that we associate with a profound and deep writer. Addison is certainly no deep and serious philosophical thinker. His style is the " middle style " and Hugh Walker agrees with Dr. Johnson that Addison lacked that energy of thought, that "highest energy, intellectual and moral" which finds its expression in an energetic and forceful, and even violent style. We can not help but endorse the opinion of Dr. Samuel Johnson that Addison "thinks justly, but he thinks faintly".

Addison And Steele

Addison's aim in writing the essays in Spectator was clearly to 'educate' , to teach and instruct and improve the society of his day. He wanted to banish vice from the country and he made it his aim to attack those vices which were below the cognizance of law and religion as he says in the essay "The Scope of Satire". He wanted to provide wholesome reading for his public which would improve them even while entertaining them. To this end, he would enliven morality with wit but wit would always be tempered or moderated with morality. He wanted to bring these two aspects together. He desired to use ridicule and irony and satire as a means of reform. He wanted to 'laugh' people out of their absurdities. He would describe the absurdities in an ironical manner so that people would realise their absurdities and reform themselves. Thus we see that all his satire is prompted by a desire to teach and reform and correct.

          

Educators role combined with satirist's:

He wanted people to cultivate a better taste, a sense of moderation and a good sense. He wanted to make the women direct their energies towards better things than dress a other trivialities and gossip. He says in The Aim of the Spectator that he would bring philosophy out of the closets and libraries to dwell in the coffee-houses and tea-tables. This shows his educative motive behind the satire. He wants to increase the number of women who were intelligent and could use this intelligence in witty conversation; women who were beautiful of mind as well as showing good sense of dressing. He would point out, he says, the defects of character 'in women so that all women may benefit from his exposure of those defects and avoid them.

In The Scope of Satire, he declares his aim of attacking vice and folly wherever they were to be found, specially if they were to be found in the high and prominent positions of society. Thus Addison would educate through his satire. By holding up the follies of society to ridicule, they would desist from these vices and follies once they realised their absurdity. But the satire would be general and attack the vice and not the person. We see the moral bias in all the essays.

Wit tempered by morality : examples

Sir Andrew Freeport is of the opinion that the Spectator papers have benefited the city people morally. The essays of Addison all have this moral note. Wit is used for the sake of making this instruction delightful. In Fans, an ironical representation of the "accomplishments" of the ladies in using their fans to best advantage, it is clear that Addison is criticising this kind of flirtatiousness. The description of the institution which teaches ladies how to use their fans, is most satirical. The ridicule is pungent----he attacks the vanities, the empty and shallow conduct of the ladies of the day. In the passage which speaks of all the different kinds of flutters, mockery, and fun reaches its climax but the purpose of the author is clear. He wants to reform the ladies of these silly and frivolous habits and customs. He uses ridicule for the purpose of curing. 

In the essay, Female Orators, once again we find admirable irony and sustained satire. Here the excessive volubility of women is ridiculed. With great wit, he relates the incident of an imaginary female who made an unhappy marriage the subject of a month's conversation. He quotes Ovid, Butler and Chaucer in support of his theory that women's tongues are remarkable for their capacity for talking. The apparently admiring tone makes the whole thing ironical and the intention is always clear----he wants the women to improve and stop talking so excessively. He wants them to stop gossiping maliciously ; he makes his moral purpose clear at the end of the essay when he says that he is charmed by this "little instru-ment" but he would like to remove the jarring notes from it by advising that it be tuned by good sense and truth.

In the de Coverley essays we have irony of character----the irony that arises from the absurdities and eccentricities of a character. But again this irony and humour is used for a moral instruction. The moral bias in the essay Sir Roger in Church is unmistakable. The author whole-heartedly approves of the Sunday gathering at Church in the countryside. It "clears away the rust of the whole week by refreshing people's notions of religion". Sir Roger's behaviour is amusing but we also realise that he is a good landlord and churchman, who is concerned about the spiritual welfare of his tenants. At the end of the essay comes an obvious homily. Addison holds up the relationship between Sir Roger and his chaplain as the ideal one between country squire and parson. He contrasts it with the condition in the next parish and says that discord between squire and parson was common in most rural areas of England and this had detrimental effects upon the parishoners. The description of the relationship between the hostile parson and his squire is quite amusing but the moral intention is clear, and it was a relevant moral lesson in those days.

In Meditations in the Abbey. We have, Addison reflecting upon death which brings all human beings to one level, however great they were when living. This is Addison's reflecting on a subject which is general and of universal interest. We see the moral bias when he says that the thought of death teaches him not to envy anyone or have inordinate desire for fame or anything else for what was the use of all this when in the end death would rub out everything. He is not afraid of contemplating the tombs of the Abbey, for they offer an opportunity to him of improving himself and his attitude. He realised how petty jealousies were and how transient beauty or riches were ! Contemplation of death taught one to be content with what one had and remove envy and jealousy from one's heart. In death, beauty, fame, richness, enmity, and friendliness, old age and youth all lay together in a "promiscuous heap". But wit is not totally absent from this essay though it is obviously so serious and moral in tone. We have witty observations like the term " registers of existence" for the epitaphs on the tombs which give the information of birth date and the date of death alone. He makes an amusing reference to the uninhabited tombs or monuments in the Abbey. He also gives wholesome advice on making sensible monuments.

In all these essays, we see that Addison was prompted by a desire to reform. The moral bias of the essays are unmistakable. None of the essays lack in wit or humour. But wit and humour, and irony, are made to teach ; they are used for the moral purpose of teaching and instruction. Addison's ambition was to have it said of him that he banished vice and folly from Great Britain. As such he aimed to make diversion "useful" ; he declared one of his aims to be the tempering of wit with morality and the enlivening of morality with wit. He does this in all the essays. If we laugh and are amused at the essays and the descriptions in them, we are never allowed to forget the that this laughter was meant to be "corrective".

Write a note on the moral bias in Addison's essays

Literaturemini | August 28, 2019 | 0 comments

Addison's aim in writing the essays in Spectator was clearly to 'educate' , to teach and instruct and improve the society of his day. He wanted to banish vice from the country and he made it his aim to attack those vices which were below the cognizance of law and religion as he says in the essay "The Scope of Satire". He wanted to provide wholesome reading for his public which would improve them even while entertaining them. To this end, he would enliven morality with wit but wit would always be tempered or moderated with morality. He wanted to bring these two aspects together. He desired to use ridicule and irony and satire as a means of reform. He wanted to 'laugh' people out of their absurdities. He would describe the absurdities in an ironical manner so that people would realise their absurdities and reform themselves. Thus we see that all his satire is prompted by a desire to teach and reform and correct.

          

Educators role combined with satirist's:

He wanted people to cultivate a better taste, a sense of moderation and a good sense. He wanted to make the women direct their energies towards better things than dress a other trivialities and gossip. He says in The Aim of the Spectator that he would bring philosophy out of the closets and libraries to dwell in the coffee-houses and tea-tables. This shows his educative motive behind the satire. He wants to increase the number of women who were intelligent and could use this intelligence in witty conversation; women who were beautiful of mind as well as showing good sense of dressing. He would point out, he says, the defects of character 'in women so that all women may benefit from his exposure of those defects and avoid them.

In The Scope of Satire, he declares his aim of attacking vice and folly wherever they were to be found, specially if they were to be found in the high and prominent positions of society. Thus Addison would educate through his satire. By holding up the follies of society to ridicule, they would desist from these vices and follies once they realised their absurdity. But the satire would be general and attack the vice and not the person. We see the moral bias in all the essays.

Wit tempered by morality : examples

Sir Andrew Freeport is of the opinion that the Spectator papers have benefited the city people morally. The essays of Addison all have this moral note. Wit is used for the sake of making this instruction delightful. In Fans, an ironical representation of the "accomplishments" of the ladies in using their fans to best advantage, it is clear that Addison is criticising this kind of flirtatiousness. The description of the institution which teaches ladies how to use their fans, is most satirical. The ridicule is pungent----he attacks the vanities, the empty and shallow conduct of the ladies of the day. In the passage which speaks of all the different kinds of flutters, mockery, and fun reaches its climax but the purpose of the author is clear. He wants to reform the ladies of these silly and frivolous habits and customs. He uses ridicule for the purpose of curing. 

In the essay, Female Orators, once again we find admirable irony and sustained satire. Here the excessive volubility of women is ridiculed. With great wit, he relates the incident of an imaginary female who made an unhappy marriage the subject of a month's conversation. He quotes Ovid, Butler and Chaucer in support of his theory that women's tongues are remarkable for their capacity for talking. The apparently admiring tone makes the whole thing ironical and the intention is always clear----he wants the women to improve and stop talking so excessively. He wants them to stop gossiping maliciously ; he makes his moral purpose clear at the end of the essay when he says that he is charmed by this "little instru-ment" but he would like to remove the jarring notes from it by advising that it be tuned by good sense and truth.

In the de Coverley essays we have irony of character----the irony that arises from the absurdities and eccentricities of a character. But again this irony and humour is used for a moral instruction. The moral bias in the essay Sir Roger in Church is unmistakable. The author whole-heartedly approves of the Sunday gathering at Church in the countryside. It "clears away the rust of the whole week by refreshing people's notions of religion". Sir Roger's behaviour is amusing but we also realise that he is a good landlord and churchman, who is concerned about the spiritual welfare of his tenants. At the end of the essay comes an obvious homily. Addison holds up the relationship between Sir Roger and his chaplain as the ideal one between country squire and parson. He contrasts it with the condition in the next parish and says that discord between squire and parson was common in most rural areas of England and this had detrimental effects upon the parishoners. The description of the relationship between the hostile parson and his squire is quite amusing but the moral intention is clear, and it was a relevant moral lesson in those days.

In Meditations in the Abbey. We have, Addison reflecting upon death which brings all human beings to one level, however great they were when living. This is Addison's reflecting on a subject which is general and of universal interest. We see the moral bias when he says that the thought of death teaches him not to envy anyone or have inordinate desire for fame or anything else for what was the use of all this when in the end death would rub out everything. He is not afraid of contemplating the tombs of the Abbey, for they offer an opportunity to him of improving himself and his attitude. He realised how petty jealousies were and how transient beauty or riches were ! Contemplation of death taught one to be content with what one had and remove envy and jealousy from one's heart. In death, beauty, fame, richness, enmity, and friendliness, old age and youth all lay together in a "promiscuous heap". But wit is not totally absent from this essay though it is obviously so serious and moral in tone. We have witty observations like the term " registers of existence" for the epitaphs on the tombs which give the information of birth date and the date of death alone. He makes an amusing reference to the uninhabited tombs or monuments in the Abbey. He also gives wholesome advice on making sensible monuments.

In all these essays, we see that Addison was prompted by a desire to reform. The moral bias of the essays are unmistakable. None of the essays lack in wit or humour. But wit and humour, and irony, are made to teach ; they are used for the moral purpose of teaching and instruction. Addison's ambition was to have it said of him that he banished vice and folly from Great Britain. As such he aimed to make diversion "useful" ; he declared one of his aims to be the tempering of wit with morality and the enlivening of morality with wit. He does this in all the essays. If we laugh and are amused at the essays and the descriptions in them, we are never allowed to forget the that this laughter was meant to be "corrective".

Addison And Steele

Addison's claim was that he " assaulted the vice without hurting the person" Examine the truth of this claim with reference to Addison's essays

 assaulted the vice without hurting the person

It is in the essay The Scope of Satire that Addison puts forward his intentions and mode of satirising society and its follies. The members of the Spectator club agree that Addison as Spectator is free to carry his " war" into any field he pleased provided that he would "combat with criminals in a body, and........ assault vice without hurting the person". It is agreed that he should continue in his noble task of scourging vice and folly as they appeared in a multitude and it is approved that he left alone the publishing of particular intrigues. Addison, thus encouraged by his fellow members, had taken upon himself the task of attacking vice in any quarter that he found it, that he would " make an example " of anything "that shocks modesty or good manners". But, he says, be careful not to indulge in any personal satire. He requests his readers not to feel that the satire is particularly aimed at him or any of their particular friends. He assures the reader that he would "never draw a faulty character which...... not fit at least a thousand people, or publish a single paper that not written in the spirit of benevolence and with a love of mankind".

We notice that in none of his essays does Addison break this assurance of indulging in satire for the good of mankind in general and never to stoop to particular and personal satire.

Benevolence towards all and malice towards none   

Addison's urbanity and refinement have been recognised by all critics and readers. He was prompted to write in a mildly satirical note because he wanted to correct mankind, to make society improve itself and discard all the frivolities and follies that it followed. It was his feeling of love towards mankind that made him want to correct it and make it better. Wit and ridicule were abused, he says, if they were employed for the purposes of denigrating virtue or with the intention of hurting particular individuals. It is in his use of satire and ridicule that we find the difference between Addison, on one hand, and Pope and Swift, and even Dryden, on the other. Pope and Dryden often attack particular individuals in their satires under thin disguises which are easily penetrated and the person recognised. Swift hits out savagely at all and sundry, at mankind in general and in particular with a violent force that makes readers feel that he is prompted more by a hatred of man than by a desire to reform. But, as Macaulay says, "of Addison it may be confidently affirmed that has blackened no man's character, nay, that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find in all the volumes he has left us a single taunt which can be called ungenerous or unkind."

Examples of this general satire    

Addison criticises the follies and vices prevalent in the society of his times freely. But these are the trivial vices and follies, the breach of good manners and good taste. And the satire is always mild and humorous, never biting and savage. He makes his target of attack the vices common to a class as a whole, general follies which were not followed by one individual but by society in general. The ridicule he pours on the stage conventions is directed towards the taste of people in general. If he attacks the silly attempts of "realism" on stage, he is attacking a trend and not a person. If he attacks the trivialities that occupy people in essays like The Grinning Match he is attacking the folly and not the individual who practises it particularly. We cannot identify the people in his essays as real persons. He attacks the gossips of the day who indulge in a lot of talking politics without really knowing anything, in the essay Coffee-houses Politicians but again it is the vice which is attacked ; it is the general type which is ridiculed and not a particular person. He criticises "men of no tastes or learning", the " false critics" in periodical Essays but once again the ridicule is aimed at a type and not at an individual.

Follies and foibles of women

The Spectator was very much concerned with the upliftment of the status of women and their education. As such Addison was strongly critical of the frivolities that occupied the females. He is pungently ironical about their "accomplishment" with their fans. He is apparently disapproving of their empty occupations, their inclination to consider their toilet and dressing up their most useful employment and their coquetry, and their shallow heart and head. But in all the essays he deals with these vices in a general fashion. Nowhere does he ridicule a particular person. In Fans, there is sustained irony but there is no spitefulness or malice against particular women. He attacks the vice, the folly and the flirtatious women in general. If in the essay Female Orators, he talks of a certain woman who made an unhappy marriage the subject of a conversation for a month we know that he is giving an example of a particular 'type' of female volubility rather than attacking some real individual. Similarly, when he mentions Sempronia, Cornelia or Mrs. Fiddle-Faddle, we realise they are names given to different types which Addison is satirising rather than representing actual individuals.

De Coverley papers

The essays in which one can clearly see the "benevolence" of Addison is in the Dr Coverley papers. Sir Roger obviously represents the country squire---he is a type, though Addison's characterization still makes him realistic. But he does not stand for any one individual country squire as has been shown by the failure of all attempts to pin a particular identity on him. Addison apparently did not satirise any individual in his Sir Roger, he merely ridicules the eccentricities of a type in general. The Tory land holder who is a benevolent tyrant of his parish, can be silly as a magistrate but his eccentricities are often shown to spring from his good sense and benevolence. He is really the best of the feudal system. Addison combines his mockery with praise so that the reader never loses respect for Sir Roger even; while laughing at his behaviour. We see urbanity and kindness of Addison's satire in the portrayal of Sir Roger, Will Wimble and the other characters of the Spectator Club.

We see that Addison kept his promise of attacking the vice without hurting the person. His satire is general, never is it intended to ridicule particular individuals. He makes fun of the absurdities without hurting the person. He satirises types and not individuals. He is prompted by a desire to reform ! He loves mankind and wants it to become better in its behaviour and taste. To this "benevolent" end, he satirises the follies and holds them up to ridicule so that his readers may see the absurdities of society's behaviour and "laugh" themselves out of their follies and vices.

Addison's claim was that he " assaulted the vice without hurting the person" Examine the truth of this claim with reference to Addison's essays

Green Land | August 01, 2019 | 0 comments

 assaulted the vice without hurting the person

It is in the essay The Scope of Satire that Addison puts forward his intentions and mode of satirising society and its follies. The members of the Spectator club agree that Addison as Spectator is free to carry his " war" into any field he pleased provided that he would "combat with criminals in a body, and........ assault vice without hurting the person". It is agreed that he should continue in his noble task of scourging vice and folly as they appeared in a multitude and it is approved that he left alone the publishing of particular intrigues. Addison, thus encouraged by his fellow members, had taken upon himself the task of attacking vice in any quarter that he found it, that he would " make an example " of anything "that shocks modesty or good manners". But, he says, be careful not to indulge in any personal satire. He requests his readers not to feel that the satire is particularly aimed at him or any of their particular friends. He assures the reader that he would "never draw a faulty character which...... not fit at least a thousand people, or publish a single paper that not written in the spirit of benevolence and with a love of mankind".

We notice that in none of his essays does Addison break this assurance of indulging in satire for the good of mankind in general and never to stoop to particular and personal satire.

Benevolence towards all and malice towards none   

Addison's urbanity and refinement have been recognised by all critics and readers. He was prompted to write in a mildly satirical note because he wanted to correct mankind, to make society improve itself and discard all the frivolities and follies that it followed. It was his feeling of love towards mankind that made him want to correct it and make it better. Wit and ridicule were abused, he says, if they were employed for the purposes of denigrating virtue or with the intention of hurting particular individuals. It is in his use of satire and ridicule that we find the difference between Addison, on one hand, and Pope and Swift, and even Dryden, on the other. Pope and Dryden often attack particular individuals in their satires under thin disguises which are easily penetrated and the person recognised. Swift hits out savagely at all and sundry, at mankind in general and in particular with a violent force that makes readers feel that he is prompted more by a hatred of man than by a desire to reform. But, as Macaulay says, "of Addison it may be confidently affirmed that has blackened no man's character, nay, that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find in all the volumes he has left us a single taunt which can be called ungenerous or unkind."

Examples of this general satire    

Addison criticises the follies and vices prevalent in the society of his times freely. But these are the trivial vices and follies, the breach of good manners and good taste. And the satire is always mild and humorous, never biting and savage. He makes his target of attack the vices common to a class as a whole, general follies which were not followed by one individual but by society in general. The ridicule he pours on the stage conventions is directed towards the taste of people in general. If he attacks the silly attempts of "realism" on stage, he is attacking a trend and not a person. If he attacks the trivialities that occupy people in essays like The Grinning Match he is attacking the folly and not the individual who practises it particularly. We cannot identify the people in his essays as real persons. He attacks the gossips of the day who indulge in a lot of talking politics without really knowing anything, in the essay Coffee-houses Politicians but again it is the vice which is attacked ; it is the general type which is ridiculed and not a particular person. He criticises "men of no tastes or learning", the " false critics" in periodical Essays but once again the ridicule is aimed at a type and not at an individual.

Follies and foibles of women

The Spectator was very much concerned with the upliftment of the status of women and their education. As such Addison was strongly critical of the frivolities that occupied the females. He is pungently ironical about their "accomplishment" with their fans. He is apparently disapproving of their empty occupations, their inclination to consider their toilet and dressing up their most useful employment and their coquetry, and their shallow heart and head. But in all the essays he deals with these vices in a general fashion. Nowhere does he ridicule a particular person. In Fans, there is sustained irony but there is no spitefulness or malice against particular women. He attacks the vice, the folly and the flirtatious women in general. If in the essay Female Orators, he talks of a certain woman who made an unhappy marriage the subject of a conversation for a month we know that he is giving an example of a particular 'type' of female volubility rather than attacking some real individual. Similarly, when he mentions Sempronia, Cornelia or Mrs. Fiddle-Faddle, we realise they are names given to different types which Addison is satirising rather than representing actual individuals.

De Coverley papers

The essays in which one can clearly see the "benevolence" of Addison is in the Dr Coverley papers. Sir Roger obviously represents the country squire---he is a type, though Addison's characterization still makes him realistic. But he does not stand for any one individual country squire as has been shown by the failure of all attempts to pin a particular identity on him. Addison apparently did not satirise any individual in his Sir Roger, he merely ridicules the eccentricities of a type in general. The Tory land holder who is a benevolent tyrant of his parish, can be silly as a magistrate but his eccentricities are often shown to spring from his good sense and benevolence. He is really the best of the feudal system. Addison combines his mockery with praise so that the reader never loses respect for Sir Roger even; while laughing at his behaviour. We see urbanity and kindness of Addison's satire in the portrayal of Sir Roger, Will Wimble and the other characters of the Spectator Club.

We see that Addison kept his promise of attacking the vice without hurting the person. His satire is general, never is it intended to ridicule particular individuals. He makes fun of the absurdities without hurting the person. He satirises types and not individuals. He is prompted by a desire to reform ! He loves mankind and wants it to become better in its behaviour and taste. To this "benevolent" end, he satirises the follies and holds them up to ridicule so that his readers may see the absurdities of society's behaviour and "laugh" themselves out of their follies and vices.

Addison And Steele

Illustrate Addison's gifts of humour and irony from the prescribed essays of Addison

Addison's gifts of humour and irony

Irony, satire, and humour are inextricably mixed in the essays of Addison. He was a social reformer and his aim was to make use of satire or ridicule to bring about a change for the better in society. He attacks vice and folly in a general manner and makes them look absurd so that readers noting this absurdity would leave off indulging in these vices and follies. Thus his satire is prompted by a purpose of reform and teaching and addison's gift of humour and irony. The most useful as well as most dangerous weapon in the hands of any satirist is irony. Irony can be deadly as it is in Swift spiteful as it is often in Pope, or merciless as it is in Jane Austen. But it has never been so mild and gentle as it is in the satire of Addison. And Addison's irony is gentle because it is urbane and it is general and it is humorous. For his humour is purposive and the very essence of it is this delectable irony. The satire of Addison's essays is typically his own, for it is humorous satire, which ridicules the folly and the type and never a particular individual.*

Gift of Humour and irony

Addison had a keen sense of humour. Sympathetic humour that was employed to correct society, to laugh society out of its vices. It was never used to laugh sneeringly at someone with the express purpose of hurting him. It was also not used against natural deformities or misfortunes. This is what makes Addison's satire so good humoured and urbane. His keen sense of humour the essence of which is irony, is to be seen in all his essays.

Examples of humorous irony and satire in his essays  

Addison's gifts of witty observation and humorous irony is evident in the essay "The Scope of Satire". How humorously he satirises the members of the club who are quite ready to approve of what Addison was doing in his essay so long as he did not direct the satire against their particular classes ! Irony is humorously used to describe the attitude of each member which snatches away all the targets of satire from the hands of the Spectator. Then we have an instance of a pure humour----the comparison of the Spectator's situation with the old man with two wives who between them make him bold because one does not like black hair and the other dislikes white hair, as a result of which they pluck out the hair which they disliked ! There is another humorous reference in this essay, the allusion to the Roman triumvirate who first tried to exclude their friends from the execution list but later decided to keep them in as otheswise they would have been without any one to execute ! The satire is against being partial prejudiced.

In The Aim of the Spectator, we have several instances of humorous satire. He directs his satire against the different sections of society which are in need of an improvement as regards their tastes and ideas. How delightfully he assures the "blanks of society" that he would see to it that they were not quite so "blank" if they took up reading his paper in which he would provide them with some ideas and thoughts. The irony and humour of calling these people "needy" cannot be missed. He is most humorously satirical when he talks of these men who "are grave or impertinent all the long, according to the notions which they have imbibed in the morning." But his satire is 'benevolent' because he wants them to reform and he attacks the type and never an individual. In the same essay, he says that his papers would go a long way towards improving the female intellect which had so far not been given enough attention. How ironically but how humorously he satirises the trivial occupations of women which they take so seriously.

It is in the essays which are directed against the follies of the female world that Addison's irony and satire become very sharp and pungent yet without losing their humorous nature. In the Aim of the Spectator we have already been told that the female of the species feels too tired after a visit to the mercer or a shop selling some trivialities to do anything else for the rest of the day. This is a delicate and genial irony---he seems to be speaking very gravely when he remarks that "the toilet is their great scene of business and the right adjustment of their hair the principal employment of their lives," but the sratirical intention is clear.

In the essay Fans, mockery and ridicule through delectable irony comes through. With the most devastatingly grave irony Addison describes an instruction set up by a correspondent in which the correspondent teaches ladies the proper use of fans----the "weapon" as deadly as a sword in the hands of a soldier. The military metaphor which is sustained throughout the essay adds to the humour. The fun and mockery reaches its climax in the passage describing the various flutters of the fans : the 'angry' flutter, 'timorous' flutter, the 'modest' flutter, the 'amorous' flutter, and so on. In the essay we see the typical Addisonian irony, discrepancy between the seriousness of tone and the intention behind it. While he seems to be reciting or relating facts we do not miss the satirical intention. He is apparently making fun of the coquettish tendencies of the fashionable society of the time. He attacks the artificiality and trivial vanities of the female sex. But the humour is never absent and the satire is never cruel and personal.

In Female Orators, we have another example of Addison's sustained irony. Suggestion after suggestion, idea after idea convey their ironical intention. Its effect is enhanced by the grave tone adopted by Addison. How seriously he says that the chair of rhetoric should be reserved for females as they are better than men at the art of speaking. As proof he remarks---and there is the sting---men can talk for hours upon some topic but women are able to talk for hours upon nothing! He seriously offers the example of British fish wives to prove his contention that women are better at the skill of eloquent arguing and thus are better suited to become lawyers? And note the humour of the grandiloquent term "ladies of the Brstish fishery" for the women who sell fish. Then he goes on to describe the different types of female orators. The scientific tone he adopts in presenting his 'findings' regarding the various types, namely the 'censorious' the 'gossips' the 'coquette' makes the whole superbly ironical and humorous. We cannot miss the ironical intention behind the apparent 'praise' of Mrs. Fiddle-Faddle who can talk for hours on the wit of her boy who has not yet learnt to speak ! A coquette hates and loves in the same breath, and the reason is even more funny----she wants to give herself a greater area of conversation !

Addison then goes on to analyse the cause behind this loquacity. He sets about it like a scientist performing some great experiment. He gives various reasons for the loquacity and quotes other writers to find out the possible causes. Perhaps, he says, what Hudibras said was quite correct, that female tongues were able to move faster because tongues were like race horses ; they moved faster if the rider was light. The female tongue, Addison implies, had nothing important to talk about so it was able to run on glibly. All allusions and references in the essay are made with a humorous tone. The moral tone is never forgotten and Addison remarks at the end that if he made fun of this loquacity, he did so with the intention of improving the behaviour of females in general.

In de Coverley papers, irony and humour are not missing. In the essay, Sir Roger in Church, we have a delightful combination of praise and ridicule. This is irony of character at its gentle best. Who can miss the ironical behaviour of Sir Roger who in zeal for the welfare of his tenants and his position as a good landlord, calmly tells one of his tenants not to disturb the congregation, blind to the fact that he himself was disturbing the service by speaking! Who can resist from affectionate laughter at this good Knight who does not let anyone sleep in the congregation except himself! This is satire and ridicule of eccentricities of character but it is always humorous. Sir Roger shows his pleasure at a prayer by saying "Amen" a number of times at the end of a prayer. He thinks nothing of standing up to count the congregation and see if anyone is missing while others were on their knees. But the irony is always mild because it is so humorous.

Irony and humour are closely mingled in the satire of Addison and this is what makes it mild and gentle. An essay like Mediations in the Abbey is really too reflective to allow for much of irony and humour or satire. But here too we find flashes of this ironical humour. He refers to the epitaphs as "registers of existence" because they merely give the birthdate and date of death of the men as if they had achieved nothing else in this world. And there is the humorous reference to the tombs uninhabited with bodies and graves without monuments. Wherever irony is employed, and it is employed in most of the essays which are satires against the follies and vices of society, it is made mild because it is general and humorous. It is not wrong to say that Addison made clear to everyone the possibilities of humorous satire.

Illustrate Addison's gifts of humour and irony from the prescribed essays of Addison

Green Land | July 31, 2019 | 0 comments

Addison's gifts of humour and irony

Irony, satire, and humour are inextricably mixed in the essays of Addison. He was a social reformer and his aim was to make use of satire or ridicule to bring about a change for the better in society. He attacks vice and folly in a general manner and makes them look absurd so that readers noting this absurdity would leave off indulging in these vices and follies. Thus his satire is prompted by a purpose of reform and teaching and addison's gift of humour and irony. The most useful as well as most dangerous weapon in the hands of any satirist is irony. Irony can be deadly as it is in Swift spiteful as it is often in Pope, or merciless as it is in Jane Austen. But it has never been so mild and gentle as it is in the satire of Addison. And Addison's irony is gentle because it is urbane and it is general and it is humorous. For his humour is purposive and the very essence of it is this delectable irony. The satire of Addison's essays is typically his own, for it is humorous satire, which ridicules the folly and the type and never a particular individual.*

Gift of Humour and irony

Addison had a keen sense of humour. Sympathetic humour that was employed to correct society, to laugh society out of its vices. It was never used to laugh sneeringly at someone with the express purpose of hurting him. It was also not used against natural deformities or misfortunes. This is what makes Addison's satire so good humoured and urbane. His keen sense of humour the essence of which is irony, is to be seen in all his essays.

Examples of humorous irony and satire in his essays  

Addison's gifts of witty observation and humorous irony is evident in the essay "The Scope of Satire". How humorously he satirises the members of the club who are quite ready to approve of what Addison was doing in his essay so long as he did not direct the satire against their particular classes ! Irony is humorously used to describe the attitude of each member which snatches away all the targets of satire from the hands of the Spectator. Then we have an instance of a pure humour----the comparison of the Spectator's situation with the old man with two wives who between them make him bold because one does not like black hair and the other dislikes white hair, as a result of which they pluck out the hair which they disliked ! There is another humorous reference in this essay, the allusion to the Roman triumvirate who first tried to exclude their friends from the execution list but later decided to keep them in as otheswise they would have been without any one to execute ! The satire is against being partial prejudiced.

In The Aim of the Spectator, we have several instances of humorous satire. He directs his satire against the different sections of society which are in need of an improvement as regards their tastes and ideas. How delightfully he assures the "blanks of society" that he would see to it that they were not quite so "blank" if they took up reading his paper in which he would provide them with some ideas and thoughts. The irony and humour of calling these people "needy" cannot be missed. He is most humorously satirical when he talks of these men who "are grave or impertinent all the long, according to the notions which they have imbibed in the morning." But his satire is 'benevolent' because he wants them to reform and he attacks the type and never an individual. In the same essay, he says that his papers would go a long way towards improving the female intellect which had so far not been given enough attention. How ironically but how humorously he satirises the trivial occupations of women which they take so seriously.

It is in the essays which are directed against the follies of the female world that Addison's irony and satire become very sharp and pungent yet without losing their humorous nature. In the Aim of the Spectator we have already been told that the female of the species feels too tired after a visit to the mercer or a shop selling some trivialities to do anything else for the rest of the day. This is a delicate and genial irony---he seems to be speaking very gravely when he remarks that "the toilet is their great scene of business and the right adjustment of their hair the principal employment of their lives," but the sratirical intention is clear.

In the essay Fans, mockery and ridicule through delectable irony comes through. With the most devastatingly grave irony Addison describes an instruction set up by a correspondent in which the correspondent teaches ladies the proper use of fans----the "weapon" as deadly as a sword in the hands of a soldier. The military metaphor which is sustained throughout the essay adds to the humour. The fun and mockery reaches its climax in the passage describing the various flutters of the fans : the 'angry' flutter, 'timorous' flutter, the 'modest' flutter, the 'amorous' flutter, and so on. In the essay we see the typical Addisonian irony, discrepancy between the seriousness of tone and the intention behind it. While he seems to be reciting or relating facts we do not miss the satirical intention. He is apparently making fun of the coquettish tendencies of the fashionable society of the time. He attacks the artificiality and trivial vanities of the female sex. But the humour is never absent and the satire is never cruel and personal.

In Female Orators, we have another example of Addison's sustained irony. Suggestion after suggestion, idea after idea convey their ironical intention. Its effect is enhanced by the grave tone adopted by Addison. How seriously he says that the chair of rhetoric should be reserved for females as they are better than men at the art of speaking. As proof he remarks---and there is the sting---men can talk for hours upon some topic but women are able to talk for hours upon nothing! He seriously offers the example of British fish wives to prove his contention that women are better at the skill of eloquent arguing and thus are better suited to become lawyers? And note the humour of the grandiloquent term "ladies of the Brstish fishery" for the women who sell fish. Then he goes on to describe the different types of female orators. The scientific tone he adopts in presenting his 'findings' regarding the various types, namely the 'censorious' the 'gossips' the 'coquette' makes the whole superbly ironical and humorous. We cannot miss the ironical intention behind the apparent 'praise' of Mrs. Fiddle-Faddle who can talk for hours on the wit of her boy who has not yet learnt to speak ! A coquette hates and loves in the same breath, and the reason is even more funny----she wants to give herself a greater area of conversation !

Addison then goes on to analyse the cause behind this loquacity. He sets about it like a scientist performing some great experiment. He gives various reasons for the loquacity and quotes other writers to find out the possible causes. Perhaps, he says, what Hudibras said was quite correct, that female tongues were able to move faster because tongues were like race horses ; they moved faster if the rider was light. The female tongue, Addison implies, had nothing important to talk about so it was able to run on glibly. All allusions and references in the essay are made with a humorous tone. The moral tone is never forgotten and Addison remarks at the end that if he made fun of this loquacity, he did so with the intention of improving the behaviour of females in general.

In de Coverley papers, irony and humour are not missing. In the essay, Sir Roger in Church, we have a delightful combination of praise and ridicule. This is irony of character at its gentle best. Who can miss the ironical behaviour of Sir Roger who in zeal for the welfare of his tenants and his position as a good landlord, calmly tells one of his tenants not to disturb the congregation, blind to the fact that he himself was disturbing the service by speaking! Who can resist from affectionate laughter at this good Knight who does not let anyone sleep in the congregation except himself! This is satire and ridicule of eccentricities of character but it is always humorous. Sir Roger shows his pleasure at a prayer by saying "Amen" a number of times at the end of a prayer. He thinks nothing of standing up to count the congregation and see if anyone is missing while others were on their knees. But the irony is always mild because it is so humorous.

Irony and humour are closely mingled in the satire of Addison and this is what makes it mild and gentle. An essay like Mediations in the Abbey is really too reflective to allow for much of irony and humour or satire. But here too we find flashes of this ironical humour. He refers to the epitaphs as "registers of existence" because they merely give the birthdate and date of death of the men as if they had achieved nothing else in this world. And there is the humorous reference to the tombs uninhabited with bodies and graves without monuments. Wherever irony is employed, and it is employed in most of the essays which are satires against the follies and vices of society, it is made mild because it is general and humorous. It is not wrong to say that Addison made clear to everyone the possibilities of humorous satire.

Addison And Steele

In the very first essay, The Spectator's Account of Himself, we are given a portrait of Spectator. He is a man of some means who has been well educated and has studied hard at school and university but is more distinguished for his silent and reserved nature than for anything else. He is a well travelled man and has a wide experience of the world. He has often been asked to share his experiences with readers through the medium of writing if he is too shy to do so through talking.

A detached observer of life  

Spectator is a gentleman who takes pleasure in looking at life from a distance without getting involved in its action. He is shy and reserved but he is unobtrusive and can mix with any company. Thus he is easily able to mix with the different clientele of the different coffee-houses of London and is an a position to know what all these people think and what was happening in different spheres of life. The portrait of Spectator is very close to the real life of Addison. Addison was well travelled man with a good education and a reputation of having applied himself hard to his studies. He was also a shy and reserved man able to converse freely, and brilliantly, only in a company which was familiar to him. He was reputed to have maintained his silent dignity in the presence of even a single stranger. He was indeed a keen observer of life and manners and a widely travelled man.We can justly say that the Spectator is a thin mask for the very person of Addison. However, it is not completely correct to call him a detached observer because the term 'detached' implies a certain aloofness which in turn implies an indifference to what goes, on in the world. Addison was not detached in that sense for he was a moralist at heart and was driven by a desire to reform in his writings. He says in the first essay that he would rather live in the world as the Spectator of mankind than as one of the species. But this experience of the world which he has gained through observation--he has observed carefully different types of people and can easily discern an error in the economy, business, or the diversion of others and is well versed in the 'theory' of a husband--has qualified him for the purpose of writing knowledgeably on the world and offering advice to his readers.

The observer not satisfied with what he saw

Addison was an observer of mankind but he was not satisfied with what he saw. His natural good taste was offended by what went on in the world. He was unhappy at the artificiality, lack of good sense and taste, the ignorance, and the bad manners of the people around him. He was prompted 'to mend the ways of the world; to develop good taste and manners, to strip the mask of vice and folly so that people would discard them. Thus he became a moralist in his writings. He could not be said to be completely detached ; it is merely an agreeable qualification he gives for his moralisings. What he means is that he is detached from all kinds of bias or prejudice and speaks for no particular party or group. He was not involved in any particular aspect of life and was an observer of life in general and hence was best qualified to give his opinions upon life. And the opinion would be just and impartial.

Moral purpose

His qualifications make the Spectator fit for the work he has undertaken. And this work is to share with the reader the 'useful discoveries' that he had made in the process of being unobserved observer of mankind. One can not say that Addison does not intend to be a censor of morals. Undoubtedly, none of the papers is going to be categorically and violently all against vice and folly; each would combine instruction with amusement so as to laugh mankind out of folly. The Spectator would publish his thoughts 'for the benefit of ...contemporaries', and he would be very pleased if these thoughts "contribute to the diversion or improvement of the country" in which he lived. The "advancement of the public weal" was of utmost importance to the Spectator. He looks at the world, sees what goes on, and, not being satisfied with what he sees, wants to improve it. The moral purpose is the result of his love and benevolence towards mankind. Thus he takes it upon himself to satirist the trivial vices, those lapses from good manners and good sense so that people would see their absurdities and change for the better.

The essays : the results of keen observation

It is as observer that Addison makes the comments in his essays. He perceives the absurdities of dress, the eccentricities of people and ridicules them in his essays. He sees the feminine follies and foibles of dress and lists them and ridicules them in such essays as Fans, Female Orators, French Fopperies, Ladies' Head-dresses, etc. He criticises the silly notions of entertainment that he has observed in London such as the grinning matches or whistling contests. He criticises the empty wits of the coffee houses after observing them. He makes satiric comments upon pedants and egoists. He observes and criticises the stage conventions and practices. The Spectator's eyes are "grave, but with a twinkle in them" as he observes and comments upon the world and its follies and foibles.Will Wimble and Sir Roger and other members of the Spectator Club are described and commented upon by the Spectator who continues in the role of an observer. Addison in the role of the Spectator stands apart and delineates these characters with they oddities and peculiarities. He is a cool observer and comments impartially upon these characters, looking upon them with amusement, and affection. He is careful in his delineation; there is fidelity in his description. This fidelity is evident in every description of his so much so that Dr. Johnson remarks : "He copies life with so much fidelity, that he can be hardly said to invent....."

It is known that the Spectator was a guise adopted by all the writers who wrote in the periodical of the name. Steele writes under the name, Budgell and Tickell also write under the name when they contributed to this periodical. But the traits of the Spectator are most close to the personal characteristics of Addison. It can easily be seen as a thin disguise for the character of Addison, that the Spectator is a "kind of sage calmly and serenely looking at the varied aspects of the social scene, the centre of a circle which includes representatives of the various sections of society". As Cazamian observes: " At the centre of this life, and of its most active focus, the capital stands a supposed spectator; at work with observant eyes, carefully noting the very details, and the external aspects, of the comedy of human relations; with a mind that studies, penetrates, interprets thoughts and hearts alike, with a moral sensibility, supple and delicate, that reacts according to the wishes of the conscience. The imaginary judge is a composite figure, to which the personality of Addison contributes most of its traits".

"The Spectator well represents Addison himself, detached from the would, but taking pleasure in looking on it." Comment?

Green Land | July 31, 2019 | 0 comments

In the very first essay, The Spectator's Account of Himself, we are given a portrait of Spectator. He is a man of some means who has been well educated and has studied hard at school and university but is more distinguished for his silent and reserved nature than for anything else. He is a well travelled man and has a wide experience of the world. He has often been asked to share his experiences with readers through the medium of writing if he is too shy to do so through talking.

A detached observer of life  

Spectator is a gentleman who takes pleasure in looking at life from a distance without getting involved in its action. He is shy and reserved but he is unobtrusive and can mix with any company. Thus he is easily able to mix with the different clientele of the different coffee-houses of London and is an a position to know what all these people think and what was happening in different spheres of life. The portrait of Spectator is very close to the real life of Addison. Addison was well travelled man with a good education and a reputation of having applied himself hard to his studies. He was also a shy and reserved man able to converse freely, and brilliantly, only in a company which was familiar to him. He was reputed to have maintained his silent dignity in the presence of even a single stranger. He was indeed a keen observer of life and manners and a widely travelled man.We can justly say that the Spectator is a thin mask for the very person of Addison. However, it is not completely correct to call him a detached observer because the term 'detached' implies a certain aloofness which in turn implies an indifference to what goes, on in the world. Addison was not detached in that sense for he was a moralist at heart and was driven by a desire to reform in his writings. He says in the first essay that he would rather live in the world as the Spectator of mankind than as one of the species. But this experience of the world which he has gained through observation--he has observed carefully different types of people and can easily discern an error in the economy, business, or the diversion of others and is well versed in the 'theory' of a husband--has qualified him for the purpose of writing knowledgeably on the world and offering advice to his readers.

The observer not satisfied with what he saw

Addison was an observer of mankind but he was not satisfied with what he saw. His natural good taste was offended by what went on in the world. He was unhappy at the artificiality, lack of good sense and taste, the ignorance, and the bad manners of the people around him. He was prompted 'to mend the ways of the world; to develop good taste and manners, to strip the mask of vice and folly so that people would discard them. Thus he became a moralist in his writings. He could not be said to be completely detached ; it is merely an agreeable qualification he gives for his moralisings. What he means is that he is detached from all kinds of bias or prejudice and speaks for no particular party or group. He was not involved in any particular aspect of life and was an observer of life in general and hence was best qualified to give his opinions upon life. And the opinion would be just and impartial.

Moral purpose

His qualifications make the Spectator fit for the work he has undertaken. And this work is to share with the reader the 'useful discoveries' that he had made in the process of being unobserved observer of mankind. One can not say that Addison does not intend to be a censor of morals. Undoubtedly, none of the papers is going to be categorically and violently all against vice and folly; each would combine instruction with amusement so as to laugh mankind out of folly. The Spectator would publish his thoughts 'for the benefit of ...contemporaries', and he would be very pleased if these thoughts "contribute to the diversion or improvement of the country" in which he lived. The "advancement of the public weal" was of utmost importance to the Spectator. He looks at the world, sees what goes on, and, not being satisfied with what he sees, wants to improve it. The moral purpose is the result of his love and benevolence towards mankind. Thus he takes it upon himself to satirist the trivial vices, those lapses from good manners and good sense so that people would see their absurdities and change for the better.

The essays : the results of keen observation

It is as observer that Addison makes the comments in his essays. He perceives the absurdities of dress, the eccentricities of people and ridicules them in his essays. He sees the feminine follies and foibles of dress and lists them and ridicules them in such essays as Fans, Female Orators, French Fopperies, Ladies' Head-dresses, etc. He criticises the silly notions of entertainment that he has observed in London such as the grinning matches or whistling contests. He criticises the empty wits of the coffee houses after observing them. He makes satiric comments upon pedants and egoists. He observes and criticises the stage conventions and practices. The Spectator's eyes are "grave, but with a twinkle in them" as he observes and comments upon the world and its follies and foibles.Will Wimble and Sir Roger and other members of the Spectator Club are described and commented upon by the Spectator who continues in the role of an observer. Addison in the role of the Spectator stands apart and delineates these characters with they oddities and peculiarities. He is a cool observer and comments impartially upon these characters, looking upon them with amusement, and affection. He is careful in his delineation; there is fidelity in his description. This fidelity is evident in every description of his so much so that Dr. Johnson remarks : "He copies life with so much fidelity, that he can be hardly said to invent....."

It is known that the Spectator was a guise adopted by all the writers who wrote in the periodical of the name. Steele writes under the name, Budgell and Tickell also write under the name when they contributed to this periodical. But the traits of the Spectator are most close to the personal characteristics of Addison. It can easily be seen as a thin disguise for the character of Addison, that the Spectator is a "kind of sage calmly and serenely looking at the varied aspects of the social scene, the centre of a circle which includes representatives of the various sections of society". As Cazamian observes: " At the centre of this life, and of its most active focus, the capital stands a supposed spectator; at work with observant eyes, carefully noting the very details, and the external aspects, of the comedy of human relations; with a mind that studies, penetrates, interprets thoughts and hearts alike, with a moral sensibility, supple and delicate, that reacts according to the wishes of the conscience. The imaginary judge is a composite figure, to which the personality of Addison contributes most of its traits".

Addison And Steele

The " Spectator " essays can be divided into four categories. One of these is the category of purely didactic essays which have no element of satire or humour. The next category is those of critical essays. Then we have the social or satirical essays. Finally, there are the de Coverely papers. Let us if all these categories have an equal importance as far as the literary reputation of the Spectator is concerned.The didactic essays are frankly 'moralistic' intention. They are, in truth, 'lay sermons'. Though one can admire the style of these essays, especially that of The Vision of Mirza, there is nothing great or profound in these essays. The moral lessons are of the variety of trite sayings which most people already know, such as 'Be cheerful', 'Be content with what you have' 'Be charitable', "Do not be egoistical", and so on. Undoubtedly, these trite moral lessons are treated elaborately in his urbane and refined style and added interest is given to them with the help of fables and allusions and anecdotes and allegory. Yet beyond their style here is nothing admirable about them. There is neither depth nor originality of thought.The critical essays helped to establish Addison as a man of sense and ability to judge in his own times. Addison enjoyed the position of authority in the field of criticism in his age. In this field too, Addison clearly saw what the age required and gave it what it required. If his criticism was more accepted, it is essentially because of its simplicity. One can, of course, not doubt his importance in this field. He did create or generate an interest in great works of literature such as the Paradise Lost and the old ballads like Chevy Chase. He applies rules in the process of judging works and this is, perhaps, not very appealing to the modern sensibility. His ideas on the stage and opera give essays such as Stage Realism, Nicolini and the Lions, and Stage Murder, a historical value. The suggestions that he makes are valuable and show Addison's good sense and sanity of outlook. But they do not have much relevance in the mordern context. Though he has given certain valuable precepts as regards satire, he limits the sphere of satire. On the whole, one agrees with Dr. Johnson that Addison was not very deep and probing in his critical essays. He is too superficial to be acclaimed as a great critic.The next group of the social or satirical essays are the essays which satirise the follies and foibles of the society in general. This group contains the essays which deal with feminine foibles of dress and  fashion and behaviour. These essays were intended to reform society, to dispel ignorance, and to develop good sense and taste in the behaviour of people, to remove affectation and vanities. In this "war" against vice and folly, Addison brought into use the weapons of satire, irony and humour. He intended to laugh mankind out of folly. He did not rant and rail or shower abuse upon the behaviour of people but gently and humorously held these follies up to ridicule. In these essays, he made everyone realise the possibilities of humorous satire. He exposes the frivolities to laughter. The satire is good humoured and effective: Wit is employed to great effect but never "abused" to hit out against anyone personally. He depicts and ridicules, at the same time, the vices of his times. We cannot deny that these essays have an interesting flavour even for the modern reader. We are amused at irony and satire and appreciate humour even though the topics are outdated. Their value in his times were great as they did indeed bring about an improvement in the position of women. These essays are therefore quite important papers of the Spectator papers as they deal with the comedy of manners.The de Coverley papers are, however, the most important of the Spectator as far as Addison's achievement goes. It is in these essays that we find all the principal literary gifts that Addison possessed. We find in them his keen sense of humour, an insight into character, and a delicate taste. The gallery of portraits that we find in these essays--Sir Andrew Freeport with his joke about the sea and the British common, the volatile Will Honeycomb, so gallant and careful about his person. Will Wimble the younger son of an aristocratic family idling away his skills, and above all, Sir Roger de Coverley--are admirable evidence of Addison's skill.

Sir Roger de Coverley was initially sketched by Steele but it was in the hands of Addison that he gained such an individuality and life- likeness. With what subtlety he combines praise and mockery in this characterization that we respect, even while we laugh at, Sir Roger. "In nothing else has Addison shown such originality, in nothing else such an exquisite skill". The 'human' quality of the characters add an everlasting charm to these essays. This was the first time that characters gained a 'roundness' and were not mere 'types'. The characterization in these papers from an important stage in the evolution of the English novel and their importance in this context is undoubted. For the first time the characters are made to act and speak against different scene and in different circumstances. Sir Roger has a permanent place in English literature among the immoral characters from Chaucer to the present times. The gentle humour, the delectable irony and the completely 'human' characterization make these papers the best of Addison's.As Hugh Walker observes : " Some of the savour has evaporated from nearly all the rest of the Spectato essays, but the de Coverley papers are fresh. Few, probably, now rank Addison's allegories as high as they were once ranked, such as The Vision of Mirza; and many are conscious of a certain triteness in the Thoughts in Westminster Abbey. We may admire the skill of the dissection of a beau's head and of a coquette's heart, we may admire the humour of Torn Folio and The Political Upholseltrer, or the delicate skill of..... ..The Exercise of the Fan. But the best of these papers leave the reader somewhat cold. They have not humanity which Goldsmith and Lamb could impart to similar essays. This humanity we find..... hardly elsewhere in.......the Spectator, except in the de Coverley papers. In these the human characters of Sir Roger and of Will Wimble have been as salt to keep the humour sweet ". Sir Roger, wherever he appears, is "perennially delightful".

The Spectator papers fall into four broad divisions

Green Land | July 31, 2019 | 0 comments

The " Spectator " essays can be divided into four categories. One of these is the category of purely didactic essays which have no element of satire or humour. The next category is those of critical essays. Then we have the social or satirical essays. Finally, there are the de Coverely papers. Let us if all these categories have an equal importance as far as the literary reputation of the Spectator is concerned.The didactic essays are frankly 'moralistic' intention. They are, in truth, 'lay sermons'. Though one can admire the style of these essays, especially that of The Vision of Mirza, there is nothing great or profound in these essays. The moral lessons are of the variety of trite sayings which most people already know, such as 'Be cheerful', 'Be content with what you have' 'Be charitable', "Do not be egoistical", and so on. Undoubtedly, these trite moral lessons are treated elaborately in his urbane and refined style and added interest is given to them with the help of fables and allusions and anecdotes and allegory. Yet beyond their style here is nothing admirable about them. There is neither depth nor originality of thought.The critical essays helped to establish Addison as a man of sense and ability to judge in his own times. Addison enjoyed the position of authority in the field of criticism in his age. In this field too, Addison clearly saw what the age required and gave it what it required. If his criticism was more accepted, it is essentially because of its simplicity. One can, of course, not doubt his importance in this field. He did create or generate an interest in great works of literature such as the Paradise Lost and the old ballads like Chevy Chase. He applies rules in the process of judging works and this is, perhaps, not very appealing to the modern sensibility. His ideas on the stage and opera give essays such as Stage Realism, Nicolini and the Lions, and Stage Murder, a historical value. The suggestions that he makes are valuable and show Addison's good sense and sanity of outlook. But they do not have much relevance in the mordern context. Though he has given certain valuable precepts as regards satire, he limits the sphere of satire. On the whole, one agrees with Dr. Johnson that Addison was not very deep and probing in his critical essays. He is too superficial to be acclaimed as a great critic.The next group of the social or satirical essays are the essays which satirise the follies and foibles of the society in general. This group contains the essays which deal with feminine foibles of dress and  fashion and behaviour. These essays were intended to reform society, to dispel ignorance, and to develop good sense and taste in the behaviour of people, to remove affectation and vanities. In this "war" against vice and folly, Addison brought into use the weapons of satire, irony and humour. He intended to laugh mankind out of folly. He did not rant and rail or shower abuse upon the behaviour of people but gently and humorously held these follies up to ridicule. In these essays, he made everyone realise the possibilities of humorous satire. He exposes the frivolities to laughter. The satire is good humoured and effective: Wit is employed to great effect but never "abused" to hit out against anyone personally. He depicts and ridicules, at the same time, the vices of his times. We cannot deny that these essays have an interesting flavour even for the modern reader. We are amused at irony and satire and appreciate humour even though the topics are outdated. Their value in his times were great as they did indeed bring about an improvement in the position of women. These essays are therefore quite important papers of the Spectator papers as they deal with the comedy of manners.The de Coverley papers are, however, the most important of the Spectator as far as Addison's achievement goes. It is in these essays that we find all the principal literary gifts that Addison possessed. We find in them his keen sense of humour, an insight into character, and a delicate taste. The gallery of portraits that we find in these essays--Sir Andrew Freeport with his joke about the sea and the British common, the volatile Will Honeycomb, so gallant and careful about his person. Will Wimble the younger son of an aristocratic family idling away his skills, and above all, Sir Roger de Coverley--are admirable evidence of Addison's skill.

Sir Roger de Coverley was initially sketched by Steele but it was in the hands of Addison that he gained such an individuality and life- likeness. With what subtlety he combines praise and mockery in this characterization that we respect, even while we laugh at, Sir Roger. "In nothing else has Addison shown such originality, in nothing else such an exquisite skill". The 'human' quality of the characters add an everlasting charm to these essays. This was the first time that characters gained a 'roundness' and were not mere 'types'. The characterization in these papers from an important stage in the evolution of the English novel and their importance in this context is undoubted. For the first time the characters are made to act and speak against different scene and in different circumstances. Sir Roger has a permanent place in English literature among the immoral characters from Chaucer to the present times. The gentle humour, the delectable irony and the completely 'human' characterization make these papers the best of Addison's.As Hugh Walker observes : " Some of the savour has evaporated from nearly all the rest of the Spectato essays, but the de Coverley papers are fresh. Few, probably, now rank Addison's allegories as high as they were once ranked, such as The Vision of Mirza; and many are conscious of a certain triteness in the Thoughts in Westminster Abbey. We may admire the skill of the dissection of a beau's head and of a coquette's heart, we may admire the humour of Torn Folio and The Political Upholseltrer, or the delicate skill of..... ..The Exercise of the Fan. But the best of these papers leave the reader somewhat cold. They have not humanity which Goldsmith and Lamb could impart to similar essays. This humanity we find..... hardly elsewhere in.......the Spectator, except in the de Coverley papers. In these the human characters of Sir Roger and of Will Wimble have been as salt to keep the humour sweet ". Sir Roger, wherever he appears, is "perennially delightful".

Addison And Steele

Irony is the weapon of a satirist and Addison is essentially a satirist, though a humorous one. Humour is basic to the satire of Addison and the essence of this humour is irony. Now, irony may be defined as a way of treating a trivial thing with mock-gravity or by using words in a such a manner as to convey the opposite of what is said. Irony can be dangerous weapon in the hands of a satirist. Swift could make deadly use of it ; Jane Austen could use it mercilessly, and Pope, maliciously. The essence of irony is the contrast it produces in one's apprehension between the 'appearance' as presented through the words and the 'reality' as conveyed through those very words. Addison's irony is 'gentle' because it is general and 'urbane'. The very nature of Addison's irony lies in his treatment of the subject. He seems to admire or condone or sympathise with the subject and manages, all the while, to convey to the reader the absurdity or ridiculous nature of the subject. He ridicules "some fashion of taste by the perfectly grave and simple description of the object.

A single essay of Addison shows his capacity for the use of this irony. Comic irony finds remarkable expression in the essays Female Orators. The essays is a sustained piece of irony--indeed it is a string of ironical observations. Each paragraph has an ironical remark which causes a 'shock of surprise'. And the essence of the irony lies in the fact that Addison's remarks are couched in the most grave and serious tone, and yet the implied meaning could not more clear.

The very first paragraph sets the tone. Addison remarks that the universities should set aside the chair for rhetoric women as they are better qualified than men for this particular field of learning. In the second paragraph, we are told that women are better than men in the art of rhetoric as they are able to talk for hours upon nothing whereas men can perhaps talk for hours only upon some subject. How seriously Addison goes on to tell us about the woman who talked for hours and in all the figures of rhetoric upon the edging of a petticoat,or the breaking of china cup ! The irony is pungent. Addison seems to admire, but there can be no mistaking the real intention. He intends to point out the useless and trivial things that a woman talks about but he talks about this drawback in women as if it were a great accomplishment and therein lies the ironical effect.Next the author tells us that women would make better lawyers to argue in court. The remark seems innocuous enough ; in fact seems a compliment. Then comes the sting in the remark that compares the women's capacity at legal argument with the rhetorical ability of the 'ladies of the British Fishery.' The very phrase 'ladies of the British fishery' is a piece of supreme irony. What a grandiloquent term for the fish wives, the shrewd and abusive women who sell fish and bargained and argued in the worst possible language!Addison then goes on to the different types of 'female orators'. Once again the tone is one of factual gravity. He merely seems to be classifying the 'rhetorician' in a most scientific manner and talking about each one's methods and abilities. But the intention of ridicule is clear. In a tone of admiration he talks of the rhetorical skills of some who are able to tell over the same story under different circumstances and in a large variety of phrases. He showers praises on the copiousness of expression and fluency of invention of the 'censorious' class of female orators, but the ironical intention is clear when he tells us that these 'talents' are employed for enlarging upon "every slip in the behaviour of another". He gives an illustration. He talks of the old lady who once made an unhappy marriage the subject of a month's conversation and after she had exhausted all aspects of the subject, went and cultivated the friendship of the unhappy bride and told her that people were talking ever so unreasonably about the marriage. This is irony on two levels. Firstly, it is ironical that the woman should have made the unhappy marriage the subject of a whole month's conversation. Secondly, it is highly ironical that she should go and make friends with the wife and tell her that other people were talking about the marriage in an unreasonable manner ! The old lady was not only loquacious ; she was also hypocritical !No one could miss the delectable irony of Mrs. Fiddle-Faddle who could talk for hours upon the wit of her little boy who had  not yet learnt to speak ! and here comes the ironical sting. This is most amusing even while the irony is pungent. The irony is again clear and pointed in the description of the coquettes who hate and love in the same breath so as to increase the field of conversation. She talks, sighs, laughs, all irrelevantly and merely to give her an opportunity to move her limbs and make gestures. Irony is the mode of attack here where the affectations and incongruous behaviour of this class of female orators are made fun of. But we also realise the essential quality of this irony here--Addison makes us laugh at the absurdities but he never rants and rails or arouses disgust as Swift could have done, were he talking upon the same subject.

The essay reaches the climax of fun and ironical pungency when Addison comes to the possible reasons for this loquacity in women. He analyses in a scientific manner the causes of this garrulity. Perhaps, he says women speak whatever they think, thus proving the Cartesian dictum that the soul is always thinking. But then, he goes on in the most serious vein as if he were arguing out a grave case, women often do not speak what they in reality think--they often pretend and dissemble. Thus the Cartesian dictum can not explain the garrulity. The irony cannot be missed--he has a dig at women for lying and dissembling. He comes to the suggestion that perhaps there are some special juices in the tongue of female which make her extra talkative; may be there are some extra pliable fibres in the tongue, or some special muscle which makes it dart up and down at incredible speed. Or perhaps there is a special channel connecting brain, heart and the tongue of the female. This analysis is done in the serious tone of a scientific inquiry and this is what heightens the ironic effect.

The climax of the essay comes in the comic use of a tragic passage in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Addison quotes the passage from Ovid in which we are told that when a female's tongue was cut off it lay quivering on the ground, murmuring with a faint imperfect sound. The essentially tragic passage is used in an ironic context by Addison to prove the point that the females have an irreparable capacity to talk.

The essay shows Addison's mastery over a delicate and flexible irony. Irony is sustained all through the essay upto the last paragraph where, however, the sting of satire is removed with the confession that the author was speaking with a pure moral purpose restoring the female tongue to that natural sweetness which is its rightful quality. We see that his irony was used for his purpose of social and moral reform. We also see that his irony, though pungent and trenchant, never hurts any particular individual woman ; it is a general irony. This is irony used humorously--we are always conscious of the funny aspect--never is the irony bitter. It is typically Addisonian because it is irony which is general and humorous.

Illustrate the irony of Addison

Green Land | July 29, 2019 | 0 comments

Irony is the weapon of a satirist and Addison is essentially a satirist, though a humorous one. Humour is basic to the satire of Addison and the essence of this humour is irony. Now, irony may be defined as a way of treating a trivial thing with mock-gravity or by using words in a such a manner as to convey the opposite of what is said. Irony can be dangerous weapon in the hands of a satirist. Swift could make deadly use of it ; Jane Austen could use it mercilessly, and Pope, maliciously. The essence of irony is the contrast it produces in one's apprehension between the 'appearance' as presented through the words and the 'reality' as conveyed through those very words. Addison's irony is 'gentle' because it is general and 'urbane'. The very nature of Addison's irony lies in his treatment of the subject. He seems to admire or condone or sympathise with the subject and manages, all the while, to convey to the reader the absurdity or ridiculous nature of the subject. He ridicules "some fashion of taste by the perfectly grave and simple description of the object.

A single essay of Addison shows his capacity for the use of this irony. Comic irony finds remarkable expression in the essays Female Orators. The essays is a sustained piece of irony--indeed it is a string of ironical observations. Each paragraph has an ironical remark which causes a 'shock of surprise'. And the essence of the irony lies in the fact that Addison's remarks are couched in the most grave and serious tone, and yet the implied meaning could not more clear.

The very first paragraph sets the tone. Addison remarks that the universities should set aside the chair for rhetoric women as they are better qualified than men for this particular field of learning. In the second paragraph, we are told that women are better than men in the art of rhetoric as they are able to talk for hours upon nothing whereas men can perhaps talk for hours only upon some subject. How seriously Addison goes on to tell us about the woman who talked for hours and in all the figures of rhetoric upon the edging of a petticoat,or the breaking of china cup ! The irony is pungent. Addison seems to admire, but there can be no mistaking the real intention. He intends to point out the useless and trivial things that a woman talks about but he talks about this drawback in women as if it were a great accomplishment and therein lies the ironical effect.Next the author tells us that women would make better lawyers to argue in court. The remark seems innocuous enough ; in fact seems a compliment. Then comes the sting in the remark that compares the women's capacity at legal argument with the rhetorical ability of the 'ladies of the British Fishery.' The very phrase 'ladies of the British fishery' is a piece of supreme irony. What a grandiloquent term for the fish wives, the shrewd and abusive women who sell fish and bargained and argued in the worst possible language!Addison then goes on to the different types of 'female orators'. Once again the tone is one of factual gravity. He merely seems to be classifying the 'rhetorician' in a most scientific manner and talking about each one's methods and abilities. But the intention of ridicule is clear. In a tone of admiration he talks of the rhetorical skills of some who are able to tell over the same story under different circumstances and in a large variety of phrases. He showers praises on the copiousness of expression and fluency of invention of the 'censorious' class of female orators, but the ironical intention is clear when he tells us that these 'talents' are employed for enlarging upon "every slip in the behaviour of another". He gives an illustration. He talks of the old lady who once made an unhappy marriage the subject of a month's conversation and after she had exhausted all aspects of the subject, went and cultivated the friendship of the unhappy bride and told her that people were talking ever so unreasonably about the marriage. This is irony on two levels. Firstly, it is ironical that the woman should have made the unhappy marriage the subject of a whole month's conversation. Secondly, it is highly ironical that she should go and make friends with the wife and tell her that other people were talking about the marriage in an unreasonable manner ! The old lady was not only loquacious ; she was also hypocritical !No one could miss the delectable irony of Mrs. Fiddle-Faddle who could talk for hours upon the wit of her little boy who had  not yet learnt to speak ! and here comes the ironical sting. This is most amusing even while the irony is pungent. The irony is again clear and pointed in the description of the coquettes who hate and love in the same breath so as to increase the field of conversation. She talks, sighs, laughs, all irrelevantly and merely to give her an opportunity to move her limbs and make gestures. Irony is the mode of attack here where the affectations and incongruous behaviour of this class of female orators are made fun of. But we also realise the essential quality of this irony here--Addison makes us laugh at the absurdities but he never rants and rails or arouses disgust as Swift could have done, were he talking upon the same subject.

The essay reaches the climax of fun and ironical pungency when Addison comes to the possible reasons for this loquacity in women. He analyses in a scientific manner the causes of this garrulity. Perhaps, he says women speak whatever they think, thus proving the Cartesian dictum that the soul is always thinking. But then, he goes on in the most serious vein as if he were arguing out a grave case, women often do not speak what they in reality think--they often pretend and dissemble. Thus the Cartesian dictum can not explain the garrulity. The irony cannot be missed--he has a dig at women for lying and dissembling. He comes to the suggestion that perhaps there are some special juices in the tongue of female which make her extra talkative; may be there are some extra pliable fibres in the tongue, or some special muscle which makes it dart up and down at incredible speed. Or perhaps there is a special channel connecting brain, heart and the tongue of the female. This analysis is done in the serious tone of a scientific inquiry and this is what heightens the ironic effect.

The climax of the essay comes in the comic use of a tragic passage in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Addison quotes the passage from Ovid in which we are told that when a female's tongue was cut off it lay quivering on the ground, murmuring with a faint imperfect sound. The essentially tragic passage is used in an ironic context by Addison to prove the point that the females have an irreparable capacity to talk.

The essay shows Addison's mastery over a delicate and flexible irony. Irony is sustained all through the essay upto the last paragraph where, however, the sting of satire is removed with the confession that the author was speaking with a pure moral purpose restoring the female tongue to that natural sweetness which is its rightful quality. We see that his irony was used for his purpose of social and moral reform. We also see that his irony, though pungent and trenchant, never hurts any particular individual woman ; it is a general irony. This is irony used humorously--we are always conscious of the funny aspect--never is the irony bitter. It is typically Addisonian because it is irony which is general and humorous.

Addison And Steele

Aims and objectives of the "Spectator"

Addison and Steele had clear moral intentions behind the writing of the essays for the Spectator. They aimed at social reformation, an improvement in the manners and behaviour of the people of their age and the removal of the rampant ignorance. In the essay The Aim of the Spectator, Addison sets put the objectives of the Spectator papers clearly. These were, firstly, to provide the readers with as much of reading material as possible which would help to dispel the rampant ignorance and promote toleration, restraint and moderation, harmony and better understanding of their situation. Secondly, the aim of the Spectator was to give instruction in a pleasant manner. It was intended to keep up this instruction constantly so that the mind was not allowed to remain fallow. Constant moral teaching would dissipate folly and prevent ignorance from taking roots in the mind. The aim was obviously moral---it was the intention of the writer to criticise the follies and vices of the age so as to improve the mind and manners of the contemporary society.

Thirdly, closely connected with the aim of teaching and instruction, Addison intended to moralise in a witty manner, and amuse or divert in a moral tone. In other words, he would enliven morality with wit and temper wit with morality'. He would preach against the vices of the age while, at the same time, he would amuse and divert the readers.

Further, the Spectator would try to bring the musty knowledge lying in the libraries and closets of the scholars out to the common. Addison would bring the philosophy out to the tea tables and the clubs and coffee houses. He aimed at making the reader more self-aware, and more knowledgeable. He would also endeavour to provide enough sound information and matter for shallow minds so that they might be able to talk in a rational and intelligent manner. There would also be matter to entertain as well as instruct the "fair sex'. This brings out an important aim of the Spectator papers---to improve the females of the society with respect to their status as well as their intellectual condition.

The Scope of Satire

The moral intention of Addison is clear. He intended to achieve his objective not through invective and fanatical ranting, but through the device of satire, humorous satire, specifically. He would 'laugh' the society out of its follies and vices. He would satirise the follies, hold up the vices as absurdities, so that the readers would see their ridiculous aspect and refrain from indulging in them. In the essay The Scope of Satire, Addison outlines the area of his satire and its range, as well as method. He would use all vices and follies as the target of his satire irrespective of where or in which class of people he found it. Indeed, he would attack it all the more if the vice was found in the higher and more prominent sections of society. He would expose to ridicule all extravagances, unreasonable conduct of folly. But, he says, he would make it a restrictive point not to attack individuals. He would only attack the general, the multitudes, and never a particular person. He would not draw a faulty character which would not fit at least a thousand people. Whatever he wrote, would be written in a spirit of benevolence and love of mankind. He would, further, attack the vice without hurting the person. This spirit of benevolence is an important aspect of Addison's satire. He keeps this promise of general satire all through the essays.

The aims as realised in the essays 

In the essay The Aim of Spectator itself, we see the aims of the Spectator being realised. Addison attacks the 'blanks of society' -- those people who are empty headed and shallow minded and who have to look to others for a topic of conversation---and tells them to read his paper so that they could get some information which would help them to converse intelligently. There is pungent wit in the phase 'blanks of society' but the irony and ridicule is aimed at a class of men as a whole. No one particular is mentioned or hurt in the process. At the same time the point could not be missed by the readers. Again, the description of the 'important' activities of the females is witty and ironical. But the satire is directed at the class in general. Also it is hitting out at the vice without hurting the person.

In The Scope of Satire, there is the ironical and satirical description of the meeting of the Spectator Club. A humorous dig is made at the inclination of all class of human beings to try and defend their particular classes from any adverse comment. We see in this essay, as well as in the others, Addison's ability to achieve a happy combination of humour and instruction. Talking about the limitations and range of true satire, he brings in the humorous reference to the Roman triumvirate and its list of those who had to be executed, and earlier, the anecdote of the old man with two wives.

The important aim of the Spectator to important the status of the women and their manners  and fashions is brought out in the essays Fans and Female Orator. In Fans, we have a delectable satire on the contemporary fashion of fluttering a fan. The irony is sustained and most amusing. But once again it is not a particular woman who is attacked. It is the class of fashionable females in general which is brought under attack. The vice or folly is attacked without hurting anyone. Addison makes delightful fun of the habit of the ladies to use their fans like the soldiers used their swords. Describing the imaginary course of the imaginary institution which instructs ladies in the use of their fans, Addison says that there are different steps such as 'handle your fans', 'unfurl your fans', dis-charge your fans', 'Flutter your fans', etc. There is an ironical description of the various types of flutters of the fans which indicate the moods of the lady who is using the fan. The essay ends with a reference to a book of instruction regarding the fan, The Passion of the Fan and the postscript that the correspondent was ready to teach young gentlemen the art of 'gallanting' a fan. The ironical humour of the whole essay is as delightful as it is impossible to miss. This is a true combination of humour and instruction, where morality is enlivened with wit and wit is tempered with morality. For, the irony and witty satire has purpose of teaching women not to follow such meaningless and absurd fashions. The aim is to correct the taste through satire, through the device of laughter. And the irony is general, though pointed and pungent. It does not hurt any individual, directed, as it is, at the general class.

Female Orators is another example of the supreme and delectable mixture of humour and moralising that Addison is capable of. The irony is admirable; the essay is a string of ironical remarks. The purpose of the essay is obviously to teach women not to be garrulous and malicious gossips. He wants that women should stop this empty-headed talk and develop more intelligent attitudes. There is humour and a great fun in the description of Mrs. Fiddle-Faddle's abilities to describe all kinds of functions and happening. It is funny to read of the coquette who loves and hates in the same breath and laughs when not merry and sighs when not sad. Addison shows the same sharp and pungent wit in analysing the probable causes of this female loquacity. The wit and humour of the essay is clear and undeniable. But wit and humour are used in the cause of social reform. There is the moral and instructive purpose behind the essay which comes to be slated in the concluding lines of the essay, The object of ridiculing the female 'orators' was to induce the female sex to keep their tongues "tuned by good nature, truth, discretion, and sincerity", and to discard malicious gossip and empty talk. Here too, there is no personal satire intended to hurt. The class and vice is attacked in general.

Sir Roger at Church is no exception to the rule of this mixture of wit and morality. There is a delightful irony at the expense of the country squire as represented in Sir Roger. The simplicity of mind, however, is prompted by an innate desire to do good. If he does stand up while all the others are kneeling in church, it is only to count the congregation and make sure that all his tenants are there. The moral instruction is there when Addison exhorts all. country squires to emulate Sir Roger in their relationship with their parsons. Once again folly and vice are attacked without hurting individuals. Sir Roger is an example of Addison's ability to combine praise and mockery.

In the essay Meditations in the Abbey, we have Addison fulfilling another aim of the Spectator, that of bringing philosophy out of closets to dwell at the tea-tables and coffee-houses. Here Addison becomes reflective and philosophical. Surveying the tombs and reading their inscriptions makes him reflect upon death and on how death was a great leveller. Beauty, youth, riches or fame, were nothing in face of death. The great, the rich, the beautiful, the young the old and the deformed were all equal in the eyes of death. The sight of the tombs in the Abbey made him conscious of death and the uselessness of worldly fame and riches and desires. It brought about a moral improvement which he desired should take place in the readers as well. Contemplation of death made one less envious, and lessened one's inordinate desires. The essay is in keeping with the avowed intentions of trying to make society morally conscious.

The essays are all examples of how Addison set about achieveing the aims and objectives of the Spectator. In each we see the combination of wit and morality; in each there is an attempt to improve the mind and conduct of society. There is complete eschewal of personal satire; vice and folly are attacked, but not the person. The papers could be said to have achieved a considerable success in the fulfilment of the aims and objectives set out by Addison.

Addison, was the aim of the Spectator !! How far has that aim been fulfilled in the essays prescribed for your story?

Green Land | July 29, 2019 | 1comments

Aims and objectives of the "Spectator"

Addison and Steele had clear moral intentions behind the writing of the essays for the Spectator. They aimed at social reformation, an improvement in the manners and behaviour of the people of their age and the removal of the rampant ignorance. In the essay The Aim of the Spectator, Addison sets put the objectives of the Spectator papers clearly. These were, firstly, to provide the readers with as much of reading material as possible which would help to dispel the rampant ignorance and promote toleration, restraint and moderation, harmony and better understanding of their situation. Secondly, the aim of the Spectator was to give instruction in a pleasant manner. It was intended to keep up this instruction constantly so that the mind was not allowed to remain fallow. Constant moral teaching would dissipate folly and prevent ignorance from taking roots in the mind. The aim was obviously moral---it was the intention of the writer to criticise the follies and vices of the age so as to improve the mind and manners of the contemporary society.

Thirdly, closely connected with the aim of teaching and instruction, Addison intended to moralise in a witty manner, and amuse or divert in a moral tone. In other words, he would enliven morality with wit and temper wit with morality'. He would preach against the vices of the age while, at the same time, he would amuse and divert the readers.

Further, the Spectator would try to bring the musty knowledge lying in the libraries and closets of the scholars out to the common. Addison would bring the philosophy out to the tea tables and the clubs and coffee houses. He aimed at making the reader more self-aware, and more knowledgeable. He would also endeavour to provide enough sound information and matter for shallow minds so that they might be able to talk in a rational and intelligent manner. There would also be matter to entertain as well as instruct the "fair sex'. This brings out an important aim of the Spectator papers---to improve the females of the society with respect to their status as well as their intellectual condition.

The Scope of Satire

The moral intention of Addison is clear. He intended to achieve his objective not through invective and fanatical ranting, but through the device of satire, humorous satire, specifically. He would 'laugh' the society out of its follies and vices. He would satirise the follies, hold up the vices as absurdities, so that the readers would see their ridiculous aspect and refrain from indulging in them. In the essay The Scope of Satire, Addison outlines the area of his satire and its range, as well as method. He would use all vices and follies as the target of his satire irrespective of where or in which class of people he found it. Indeed, he would attack it all the more if the vice was found in the higher and more prominent sections of society. He would expose to ridicule all extravagances, unreasonable conduct of folly. But, he says, he would make it a restrictive point not to attack individuals. He would only attack the general, the multitudes, and never a particular person. He would not draw a faulty character which would not fit at least a thousand people. Whatever he wrote, would be written in a spirit of benevolence and love of mankind. He would, further, attack the vice without hurting the person. This spirit of benevolence is an important aspect of Addison's satire. He keeps this promise of general satire all through the essays.

The aims as realised in the essays 

In the essay The Aim of Spectator itself, we see the aims of the Spectator being realised. Addison attacks the 'blanks of society' -- those people who are empty headed and shallow minded and who have to look to others for a topic of conversation---and tells them to read his paper so that they could get some information which would help them to converse intelligently. There is pungent wit in the phase 'blanks of society' but the irony and ridicule is aimed at a class of men as a whole. No one particular is mentioned or hurt in the process. At the same time the point could not be missed by the readers. Again, the description of the 'important' activities of the females is witty and ironical. But the satire is directed at the class in general. Also it is hitting out at the vice without hurting the person.

In The Scope of Satire, there is the ironical and satirical description of the meeting of the Spectator Club. A humorous dig is made at the inclination of all class of human beings to try and defend their particular classes from any adverse comment. We see in this essay, as well as in the others, Addison's ability to achieve a happy combination of humour and instruction. Talking about the limitations and range of true satire, he brings in the humorous reference to the Roman triumvirate and its list of those who had to be executed, and earlier, the anecdote of the old man with two wives.

The important aim of the Spectator to important the status of the women and their manners  and fashions is brought out in the essays Fans and Female Orator. In Fans, we have a delectable satire on the contemporary fashion of fluttering a fan. The irony is sustained and most amusing. But once again it is not a particular woman who is attacked. It is the class of fashionable females in general which is brought under attack. The vice or folly is attacked without hurting anyone. Addison makes delightful fun of the habit of the ladies to use their fans like the soldiers used their swords. Describing the imaginary course of the imaginary institution which instructs ladies in the use of their fans, Addison says that there are different steps such as 'handle your fans', 'unfurl your fans', dis-charge your fans', 'Flutter your fans', etc. There is an ironical description of the various types of flutters of the fans which indicate the moods of the lady who is using the fan. The essay ends with a reference to a book of instruction regarding the fan, The Passion of the Fan and the postscript that the correspondent was ready to teach young gentlemen the art of 'gallanting' a fan. The ironical humour of the whole essay is as delightful as it is impossible to miss. This is a true combination of humour and instruction, where morality is enlivened with wit and wit is tempered with morality. For, the irony and witty satire has purpose of teaching women not to follow such meaningless and absurd fashions. The aim is to correct the taste through satire, through the device of laughter. And the irony is general, though pointed and pungent. It does not hurt any individual, directed, as it is, at the general class.

Female Orators is another example of the supreme and delectable mixture of humour and moralising that Addison is capable of. The irony is admirable; the essay is a string of ironical remarks. The purpose of the essay is obviously to teach women not to be garrulous and malicious gossips. He wants that women should stop this empty-headed talk and develop more intelligent attitudes. There is humour and a great fun in the description of Mrs. Fiddle-Faddle's abilities to describe all kinds of functions and happening. It is funny to read of the coquette who loves and hates in the same breath and laughs when not merry and sighs when not sad. Addison shows the same sharp and pungent wit in analysing the probable causes of this female loquacity. The wit and humour of the essay is clear and undeniable. But wit and humour are used in the cause of social reform. There is the moral and instructive purpose behind the essay which comes to be slated in the concluding lines of the essay, The object of ridiculing the female 'orators' was to induce the female sex to keep their tongues "tuned by good nature, truth, discretion, and sincerity", and to discard malicious gossip and empty talk. Here too, there is no personal satire intended to hurt. The class and vice is attacked in general.

Sir Roger at Church is no exception to the rule of this mixture of wit and morality. There is a delightful irony at the expense of the country squire as represented in Sir Roger. The simplicity of mind, however, is prompted by an innate desire to do good. If he does stand up while all the others are kneeling in church, it is only to count the congregation and make sure that all his tenants are there. The moral instruction is there when Addison exhorts all. country squires to emulate Sir Roger in their relationship with their parsons. Once again folly and vice are attacked without hurting individuals. Sir Roger is an example of Addison's ability to combine praise and mockery.

In the essay Meditations in the Abbey, we have Addison fulfilling another aim of the Spectator, that of bringing philosophy out of closets to dwell at the tea-tables and coffee-houses. Here Addison becomes reflective and philosophical. Surveying the tombs and reading their inscriptions makes him reflect upon death and on how death was a great leveller. Beauty, youth, riches or fame, were nothing in face of death. The great, the rich, the beautiful, the young the old and the deformed were all equal in the eyes of death. The sight of the tombs in the Abbey made him conscious of death and the uselessness of worldly fame and riches and desires. It brought about a moral improvement which he desired should take place in the readers as well. Contemplation of death made one less envious, and lessened one's inordinate desires. The essay is in keeping with the avowed intentions of trying to make society morally conscious.

The essays are all examples of how Addison set about achieveing the aims and objectives of the Spectator. In each we see the combination of wit and morality; in each there is an attempt to improve the mind and conduct of society. There is complete eschewal of personal satire; vice and folly are attacked, but not the person. The papers could be said to have achieved a considerable success in the fulfilment of the aims and objectives set out by Addison.

Addison And Steele

Addison's contribution to the development of English prose can not be overestimated. He perfected English prose as an instrument for the expression of social thought. Addison's prose style is what Dr. Johnson termed as the 'middle style'. A style which is not too informal, it is not rigidly formal either. A style which is free of levity and vulgarism, and at the same time easy and friendly, without elaborate flourishes of metaphor and involved comparisons. In Dr. Johnson's words, Addison is the master of "middle style" familiar but not coarse, elegant but not ostentatious on grave subjects not formal; on light occasion not grovelling, pure without scrupulosity, and exact without apparent elaboration; and always equable, and always easy, without glowing words or pointed sentences." Addison's style is the picture of moderation, elegant, clear and fluent.

Clarity and fluent expression,  never slip-shod  

The most striking feature of the style of Addison is its clarity. Addison was writing for a popular audience which, he wanted, should understand his works for he aimed at their moral improvement. Thus we find that he never spared any pains to make his writing easily understood. But at the same time he wanted no slip-shod writing for the sake of informality. He was always clear, fluent and chose his words carefully and used them well. Even his long sentences present little difficulty to the reader's understanding. Such an example of a long sentence which is fluently put across occurs at the very beginning of Mea tation in the Abby: 

when I am in a serious humour, I very often walk by myself in the Westminster Abbey : where the gloominess of the place, and the use to which it is applied, with the solemnity of the building, and the condition of the people in it, are apt to fill the mind with a kind o melancholy, or rather thoughtfulness that is not disagreeable."

We have another instance of his skilful handling of the long sentence in the same essay : 

"Upon this I began to consider with myself what innumerable multitudes of people lay confused together under the pavement of that ancient cathedral ; how men and women, friends and enemies, priests and soldiers, monks and prebendaries, were crumbled amongst one another ; and blended together in the same common mass ; how beauty, strength, and youth, with old age, weakness and deformity, lay undistinguished in the same promiscuous heap of matter

These sentences have a number of commas, are long and not obscure. The thought is clearly understood and each sentence shows Addison's firm command over the language.

Short sentence: Addison equally effective   

It is not only in the long sentences that Addison shows his mastery. There are a number of short sentences in his essays which show his capacity for expressing his thought in neat and compact sentences which are also brief. In the essay The Aim of the Spectator, we have the following two sentences which serve as examples of the short and lucid sentenes:

"The mind that lies fallow for a single day, sprouts up in follies that are only to be killed by a constant and assiduous culture." "I shall endeavour to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality, that my readers may, if possible, both ways find their account in the speculation of day."

A sentence which exemplifies his ability to write in a short and compact style occurs in the essay, The Scope of Satire :

 "That vice and folly ought to be attacked wherever they could be met with, and especially when they were placed in high and conspicuous stations of life."

In Fans, we have yet another example of this short and neatly compact sentence:

"Women are armed with fans as men with swords, and sometimes do more execution with them.

Polished elegance and refinement of expression

  

Clarity of thought is accompanied by a seemingly effortless of expression. Addison is a master in the art of careful choice of words and in the careful arrangement of these words to produce the correct effect. His careful choice of words seems spontaneous because of his control over the language. His sentence shows a flowing grace and rhythm which must have come with considerable revision and effort but the credit goes to him that this style is not laboured. He does not use slang or coarse expressions, colloquial words or words of common domestic association. This led to the elegance which one has come to associate with the name of Addison.He is selective in his use of words which are dignified and refined. Thus we read about a common hand fan being referred to as " that little modish machine" and "weapon", in the essay Fans. This also enhances the ironic effect. He calls the tongue of the female, " this little instrument of loquacity " in Female Orators. The inscriptions on the tombstones of Westminster Abbey are "registers of existence". The Abbey and its graves is " the great magazine of morality ", in the essay Meditations in the Abbey.In Meditations in the Abbey, there is a passage which serves as an excellent example of Addison's felicity in the choice of words. He talks of the "innumerable multitudes" who were "confused together under the pavement of that ancient cathedral." He could easily have said that many people were buried in the Abbey. But his choice of words makes the passage beautiful and refined even while it loses none of its clarity. What is more striking is that this elegance of expression enhances the ironic effect wherever he wants it.

Metaphors and similes 

Addison mostly uses metaphors and similes for humorous effect. He is very successful in this. Thus in the essay Fans we have a comparison between the fan in the hand of a lady and the sword in the hand of a soldier. This military metaphor is continued throughout the essay and this adds to the delectable satire. Words such as 'discharge', 'array'. 'words of command', etc., in connection with the 'weapon' called "fan" enhance the humour. Sometimes he borrows a simile from other writers so as to enhance the humour and pointed satire of his essay, Thus in the essay Female Orators he borrows the simile of the tongue, being compared to a race horse from Butlers Hudibras, "the tongue is like a race-horse, which runs the faster the lesser weight it carries." On the whole, however, Addison uses metaphors and similes sparingly and only when necessary. There are no unnecessary and involved comparisons which decorate the writing.

Allusions and quotations 

Addison does not shrink from the employment of allusions and quotations wherever needed. There is a wide variety of allusions : mythological, Biblical, historical, and literary. Each essay is headed by a quotation taken from classical or modern authors and each is apt for the subject being dealt with in the particular essay Female Orators from which we have the quotation, "Their untir'd lips a wordy torrent pour."As for allusions, we have in the essay The Aim of the Spectator references to Socrates and Francis Bacon. In Female Orators we have mention of Hudibras, the wife of Bath, and Ovid. In The Scope of Satire there are allusions to Horace, Juvenal, and Boileau. There is also the historical reference to the Roman triumvirate.

Anecdotes

A striking part of Addison's prose style is his use of anecdotes. He uses these to bring a point, home to the reader, to illustrate or to enhance the humour of the situation. Sometimes these anecdotes are taken from older literature and popular stories. An instance of this occurs in The Scope of Satire where the Spectator compares himself with the old man in the story who had two wives. The old man becomes bald as both his wives pull out all his hair between them as one does not like black hair and the other dislikes white ! The anecdote is used to illustrate his own dilemmatic position and it also serves to add humour.But in most of the essays we have imaginary anecdotes, incidents about make-believe characters, which serve to illustrate and add poignance to a point. We have the story about the woman who made an unhappy marriage the subject of a month's conversation in the essay Female Orators, to illustrate one type of such 'orator.' Another special device used by Addison at times is the letter from an imaginary correspondent. This occurs in the essay, Fans. These allusions and anecdotes, as has been remarked before, contribute greatly to the humour and satire of the essays. That brings us to the most important aspect of Addison's style i.e., humour and irony.Humour and irony.

Humour and Irony  

Humour and irony are basic to the essays in the Spectator. Addison aimed at reforming the public out of its vices and follies and he intended to do this through satirising these vices and follies. But his satire is humorous, never bitter. Like all satirists he uses irony but in his hands it becomes 'gentle' because it is urban and general. The _ irony is closely connected with humour ; it is, in fact, the very essence of that humour. His laughter was intended to correct, not merely to amuse. The humour tones down the deadly effect of irony, makes it smooth even while it is pointed. In Female Orators we have a string of ironical remarks which cannot fail to amuse even while satirising the 'empty headed' loquacity of women. The ironical effect is enhanced through the tone of gravity and admiration employed by Addison. Thus he seems to be praising the volubility of women when he says,  

"With what fluency of invention, and copiousness of expression, will they enlarge upon every little slip in the behaviour of another ; With how many different circumstances, and with variety of phrases will they tell over the same story!"

whereas we know clearly enough that the whole passing is an ironical dig at the talkativeness of women and their tendency for malicious gossip. How seriously he describes the manoeuvres with the fan as if they were indeed a part of an elaborate drill. The whole essay, Fans, is a delightful satirical exposition of the contemporary fashion of fluttering a hand fan. Delicate irony and humour are at their best in the essays dealing with Sir Roger. Sir Roger at Church gives an affectionately ironical description of the old knight who does not let any one sleep in the congregation besides himself. He stands up while all the rest are keeping in order to see if all his tenants had come to church. We are told how the knight was in the habit of saying 'Amen' three or four times if he liked a particular prayer. All this is humorous as well as ironic. The allusions and anecdotes serve to enhance the humour. But Addison never allows this humour and irony to get out of control. Even in the essays which satirise the female foibles and fashions, and do so rather pungently, he never becomes virulent. The refinement of style and thought is always keeping a control and keeping the satire controlled and 'gentle'. The irony is always gentle and civilized. The humour is 'purposive' and never farcical.

There are some critics who charge that Addison's 'middle style' is a style of mediocrity. It is the external manifestation of a mediocre mind which had not the fierce and powerful intellectual and moral strength to produce the fiery and powerful style. This, to some extent, is true. Addison's style is always sedate, refined and careful. It never "blazes in unexpected splendour ;" there are no "glowing words or pointed sentences." But then Addison never wanted to be "energetic." Though the charge of mediocrity cannot be fully denied, there is no suppressing the importance of Addison's service to the development of an easy and modern English prose style. One has to admire the "free unaffected movement, graceful transitions, delicate harmonies, and appropriateness of tone" in his style. He brought clarity and fluency of expression to English prose style.

Discuss Addison's prose style with reference to the essays prescribed for you?

Green Land | July 28, 2019 | 0 comments

Addison's contribution to the development of English prose can not be overestimated. He perfected English prose as an instrument for the expression of social thought. Addison's prose style is what Dr. Johnson termed as the 'middle style'. A style which is not too informal, it is not rigidly formal either. A style which is free of levity and vulgarism, and at the same time easy and friendly, without elaborate flourishes of metaphor and involved comparisons. In Dr. Johnson's words, Addison is the master of "middle style" familiar but not coarse, elegant but not ostentatious on grave subjects not formal; on light occasion not grovelling, pure without scrupulosity, and exact without apparent elaboration; and always equable, and always easy, without glowing words or pointed sentences." Addison's style is the picture of moderation, elegant, clear and fluent.

Clarity and fluent expression,  never slip-shod  

The most striking feature of the style of Addison is its clarity. Addison was writing for a popular audience which, he wanted, should understand his works for he aimed at their moral improvement. Thus we find that he never spared any pains to make his writing easily understood. But at the same time he wanted no slip-shod writing for the sake of informality. He was always clear, fluent and chose his words carefully and used them well. Even his long sentences present little difficulty to the reader's understanding. Such an example of a long sentence which is fluently put across occurs at the very beginning of Mea tation in the Abby: 

when I am in a serious humour, I very often walk by myself in the Westminster Abbey : where the gloominess of the place, and the use to which it is applied, with the solemnity of the building, and the condition of the people in it, are apt to fill the mind with a kind o melancholy, or rather thoughtfulness that is not disagreeable."

We have another instance of his skilful handling of the long sentence in the same essay : 

"Upon this I began to consider with myself what innumerable multitudes of people lay confused together under the pavement of that ancient cathedral ; how men and women, friends and enemies, priests and soldiers, monks and prebendaries, were crumbled amongst one another ; and blended together in the same common mass ; how beauty, strength, and youth, with old age, weakness and deformity, lay undistinguished in the same promiscuous heap of matter

These sentences have a number of commas, are long and not obscure. The thought is clearly understood and each sentence shows Addison's firm command over the language.

Short sentence: Addison equally effective   

It is not only in the long sentences that Addison shows his mastery. There are a number of short sentences in his essays which show his capacity for expressing his thought in neat and compact sentences which are also brief. In the essay The Aim of the Spectator, we have the following two sentences which serve as examples of the short and lucid sentenes:

"The mind that lies fallow for a single day, sprouts up in follies that are only to be killed by a constant and assiduous culture." "I shall endeavour to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality, that my readers may, if possible, both ways find their account in the speculation of day."

A sentence which exemplifies his ability to write in a short and compact style occurs in the essay, The Scope of Satire :

 "That vice and folly ought to be attacked wherever they could be met with, and especially when they were placed in high and conspicuous stations of life."

In Fans, we have yet another example of this short and neatly compact sentence:

"Women are armed with fans as men with swords, and sometimes do more execution with them.

Polished elegance and refinement of expression

  

Clarity of thought is accompanied by a seemingly effortless of expression. Addison is a master in the art of careful choice of words and in the careful arrangement of these words to produce the correct effect. His careful choice of words seems spontaneous because of his control over the language. His sentence shows a flowing grace and rhythm which must have come with considerable revision and effort but the credit goes to him that this style is not laboured. He does not use slang or coarse expressions, colloquial words or words of common domestic association. This led to the elegance which one has come to associate with the name of Addison.He is selective in his use of words which are dignified and refined. Thus we read about a common hand fan being referred to as " that little modish machine" and "weapon", in the essay Fans. This also enhances the ironic effect. He calls the tongue of the female, " this little instrument of loquacity " in Female Orators. The inscriptions on the tombstones of Westminster Abbey are "registers of existence". The Abbey and its graves is " the great magazine of morality ", in the essay Meditations in the Abbey.In Meditations in the Abbey, there is a passage which serves as an excellent example of Addison's felicity in the choice of words. He talks of the "innumerable multitudes" who were "confused together under the pavement of that ancient cathedral." He could easily have said that many people were buried in the Abbey. But his choice of words makes the passage beautiful and refined even while it loses none of its clarity. What is more striking is that this elegance of expression enhances the ironic effect wherever he wants it.

Metaphors and similes 

Addison mostly uses metaphors and similes for humorous effect. He is very successful in this. Thus in the essay Fans we have a comparison between the fan in the hand of a lady and the sword in the hand of a soldier. This military metaphor is continued throughout the essay and this adds to the delectable satire. Words such as 'discharge', 'array'. 'words of command', etc., in connection with the 'weapon' called "fan" enhance the humour. Sometimes he borrows a simile from other writers so as to enhance the humour and pointed satire of his essay, Thus in the essay Female Orators he borrows the simile of the tongue, being compared to a race horse from Butlers Hudibras, "the tongue is like a race-horse, which runs the faster the lesser weight it carries." On the whole, however, Addison uses metaphors and similes sparingly and only when necessary. There are no unnecessary and involved comparisons which decorate the writing.

Allusions and quotations 

Addison does not shrink from the employment of allusions and quotations wherever needed. There is a wide variety of allusions : mythological, Biblical, historical, and literary. Each essay is headed by a quotation taken from classical or modern authors and each is apt for the subject being dealt with in the particular essay Female Orators from which we have the quotation, "Their untir'd lips a wordy torrent pour."As for allusions, we have in the essay The Aim of the Spectator references to Socrates and Francis Bacon. In Female Orators we have mention of Hudibras, the wife of Bath, and Ovid. In The Scope of Satire there are allusions to Horace, Juvenal, and Boileau. There is also the historical reference to the Roman triumvirate.

Anecdotes

A striking part of Addison's prose style is his use of anecdotes. He uses these to bring a point, home to the reader, to illustrate or to enhance the humour of the situation. Sometimes these anecdotes are taken from older literature and popular stories. An instance of this occurs in The Scope of Satire where the Spectator compares himself with the old man in the story who had two wives. The old man becomes bald as both his wives pull out all his hair between them as one does not like black hair and the other dislikes white ! The anecdote is used to illustrate his own dilemmatic position and it also serves to add humour.But in most of the essays we have imaginary anecdotes, incidents about make-believe characters, which serve to illustrate and add poignance to a point. We have the story about the woman who made an unhappy marriage the subject of a month's conversation in the essay Female Orators, to illustrate one type of such 'orator.' Another special device used by Addison at times is the letter from an imaginary correspondent. This occurs in the essay, Fans. These allusions and anecdotes, as has been remarked before, contribute greatly to the humour and satire of the essays. That brings us to the most important aspect of Addison's style i.e., humour and irony.Humour and irony.

Humour and Irony  

Humour and irony are basic to the essays in the Spectator. Addison aimed at reforming the public out of its vices and follies and he intended to do this through satirising these vices and follies. But his satire is humorous, never bitter. Like all satirists he uses irony but in his hands it becomes 'gentle' because it is urban and general. The _ irony is closely connected with humour ; it is, in fact, the very essence of that humour. His laughter was intended to correct, not merely to amuse. The humour tones down the deadly effect of irony, makes it smooth even while it is pointed. In Female Orators we have a string of ironical remarks which cannot fail to amuse even while satirising the 'empty headed' loquacity of women. The ironical effect is enhanced through the tone of gravity and admiration employed by Addison. Thus he seems to be praising the volubility of women when he says,  

"With what fluency of invention, and copiousness of expression, will they enlarge upon every little slip in the behaviour of another ; With how many different circumstances, and with variety of phrases will they tell over the same story!"

whereas we know clearly enough that the whole passing is an ironical dig at the talkativeness of women and their tendency for malicious gossip. How seriously he describes the manoeuvres with the fan as if they were indeed a part of an elaborate drill. The whole essay, Fans, is a delightful satirical exposition of the contemporary fashion of fluttering a hand fan. Delicate irony and humour are at their best in the essays dealing with Sir Roger. Sir Roger at Church gives an affectionately ironical description of the old knight who does not let any one sleep in the congregation besides himself. He stands up while all the rest are keeping in order to see if all his tenants had come to church. We are told how the knight was in the habit of saying 'Amen' three or four times if he liked a particular prayer. All this is humorous as well as ironic. The allusions and anecdotes serve to enhance the humour. But Addison never allows this humour and irony to get out of control. Even in the essays which satirise the female foibles and fashions, and do so rather pungently, he never becomes virulent. The refinement of style and thought is always keeping a control and keeping the satire controlled and 'gentle'. The irony is always gentle and civilized. The humour is 'purposive' and never farcical.

There are some critics who charge that Addison's 'middle style' is a style of mediocrity. It is the external manifestation of a mediocre mind which had not the fierce and powerful intellectual and moral strength to produce the fiery and powerful style. This, to some extent, is true. Addison's style is always sedate, refined and careful. It never "blazes in unexpected splendour ;" there are no "glowing words or pointed sentences." But then Addison never wanted to be "energetic." Though the charge of mediocrity cannot be fully denied, there is no suppressing the importance of Addison's service to the development of an easy and modern English prose style. One has to admire the "free unaffected movement, graceful transitions, delicate harmonies, and appropriateness of tone" in his style. He brought clarity and fluency of expression to English prose style.

Addison And Steele

There is a popular saying that a man reveals his character and true nature in his style of writing. This could easily be said to be most true regarding the prose style of Addison. "Few English writers have revealed themselves more accurately and exactly in their writings than Addison", as Hugh Walker remarks. And according to Deighton, Addison's style is not easily imitable because to write like Addison, one has to be like Addison. Addison was a reserved, cool and 'rational' man, just and sensible. He had a benevolent attitude towards mankind but every emotion was toned to moderation by his cool judgment. He was also a refined and cultured man and this elegance and cool rationality make him different from his co-worker Steele who was more impulsive, more spontaneous, more generous, but less refined and careful. There was a simple kindness in Addison, a deep and simple piety. He was a well travelled man and knew several matters through wide reading and learning. Sober and reserved, refined and coolly rational, Addison's very character is reflected in his style of writing.

We find that Addison's style is the model of the 'middle style', as Johnson says. His style expresses the same cool sense of judgement and moderation that he advocated in life and according to which he tried to live. In his writing, the figures of speech which he employs, the manner of expressing his thoughts, Addison shows his refinement and innate elegance. His cool moderation is evident in his moralisations which are put across with conviction but without rancour of fanatic zeal. He is always moderate and shows no heat or intensity. He is eloquent but not rhetorical. His choice of words is made carefully. He was a sober and careful man in life as well as refined; he chose the words in his writngs accordingly. His choice of words reflect his sense of refinement and striving after perfection. It is said that he revised his work several times and often stopped it from the press at the last moment to alter a punctuation mark. But all this effort does not show a laborious style, for Addison's style is clear, lucid and seemingly spontaneous.

His 'urbane' temperament comes out clearly in the humour and irony which are the basic essentials of his style. It is his character which controls his humour and irony and checks it from becoming bitter or malicious. His humane disposition is seen in the manner of his satire attack: he attacks vices without hurting persons and attacks classes and never individuals. His satire is prompted by the humanitarian aim of reforming society, and reforming through gentle laughter. But his essential coolness also helped him to be more sharp in his irony than Steele, who tended to be more sentimental.

The illustrations and allusions and anecdotes show his reading and learning and his preference for making the abstract into something concrete. Addison's style is not without its demerits. As Hugh Walker remarks, "the greatest style is the expression of the highest energy, intellectual and moral", and this quality Addison did not possess. He does write on 'trite' subjects and without much originality. For this he could only produce the " middle style." This is, of course, not to detract from the service that he did to the development of English prose. Addison brought to English prose, the qualities which he possessed as a man i.e., lucidity of expression, refinement, elegance, clarity and precision, sanity and moderation of thought and emotion.*

Prose Style of Addison

Green Land | July 27, 2019 | 0 comments

There is a popular saying that a man reveals his character and true nature in his style of writing. This could easily be said to be most true regarding the prose style of Addison. "Few English writers have revealed themselves more accurately and exactly in their writings than Addison", as Hugh Walker remarks. And according to Deighton, Addison's style is not easily imitable because to write like Addison, one has to be like Addison. Addison was a reserved, cool and 'rational' man, just and sensible. He had a benevolent attitude towards mankind but every emotion was toned to moderation by his cool judgment. He was also a refined and cultured man and this elegance and cool rationality make him different from his co-worker Steele who was more impulsive, more spontaneous, more generous, but less refined and careful. There was a simple kindness in Addison, a deep and simple piety. He was a well travelled man and knew several matters through wide reading and learning. Sober and reserved, refined and coolly rational, Addison's very character is reflected in his style of writing.

We find that Addison's style is the model of the 'middle style', as Johnson says. His style expresses the same cool sense of judgement and moderation that he advocated in life and according to which he tried to live. In his writing, the figures of speech which he employs, the manner of expressing his thoughts, Addison shows his refinement and innate elegance. His cool moderation is evident in his moralisations which are put across with conviction but without rancour of fanatic zeal. He is always moderate and shows no heat or intensity. He is eloquent but not rhetorical. His choice of words is made carefully. He was a sober and careful man in life as well as refined; he chose the words in his writngs accordingly. His choice of words reflect his sense of refinement and striving after perfection. It is said that he revised his work several times and often stopped it from the press at the last moment to alter a punctuation mark. But all this effort does not show a laborious style, for Addison's style is clear, lucid and seemingly spontaneous.

His 'urbane' temperament comes out clearly in the humour and irony which are the basic essentials of his style. It is his character which controls his humour and irony and checks it from becoming bitter or malicious. His humane disposition is seen in the manner of his satire attack: he attacks vices without hurting persons and attacks classes and never individuals. His satire is prompted by the humanitarian aim of reforming society, and reforming through gentle laughter. But his essential coolness also helped him to be more sharp in his irony than Steele, who tended to be more sentimental.

The illustrations and allusions and anecdotes show his reading and learning and his preference for making the abstract into something concrete. Addison's style is not without its demerits. As Hugh Walker remarks, "the greatest style is the expression of the highest energy, intellectual and moral", and this quality Addison did not possess. He does write on 'trite' subjects and without much originality. For this he could only produce the " middle style." This is, of course, not to detract from the service that he did to the development of English prose. Addison brought to English prose, the qualities which he possessed as a man i.e., lucidity of expression, refinement, elegance, clarity and precision, sanity and moderation of thought and emotion.*

Addison And Steele

Irony is the chief weapon in the hands of a satirist. It, is true of Addison who is first and foremost a satirist, a satirist who has a moral purpose behind his satire and ridicule. He aimed at the reformation of morals and manners of the reading public of his country and he sought to achieve this through ridicule. He exposed follies and vices and foibles of the public, the various sections of the public, to ridicule so that the readers by seeing the absurdity of the follies would discard them. The very nature of Addison's satire is humour and the very essence of this humour is irony. "Irony, all delicious in its gravity, forms a large, perhaps the largest, constituent of his humour", as Deighton remarks.

Irony and urbanity : inseparable traits in Addison's satire

Addison's irony is typical of him. It is a special kind of irony which occurs because of the author's pretended sympathy with the opposite point of view while all the time he exposes it to ridicule. Addison's tone is always grave and serious as if he condones the very object he is describing but he leaves no doubt whatsoever about his intention which is to ridicule it. This heightens the ironic effect. The irony is all the more devastating because the victim is approached under the guise of friendship, as Lobban remarks. Pope was not, after all, far off the mark when he says

"Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer"

in connection with Addison's writing. This couplet reveals the essential quality of Addison's irony---the typical mixture of ridicule and suavity, a sly suavity, the close combination of urbanity and irony. Indeed if the irony of Addison is called 'gentle', it is so because the irony is urbane and general. He is never crude or coarse. Neither is he personal. Addison's method is not savagery or virulence; it is urbanity and sly suavity. He never uses bitter language, words that would hurt or offend. Irony is a formidable weapon but Addison uses it for a corrective purpose--to laugh people out of their vices and follies---and hence, he is not savage or ferocious.Connected with the urbanity of his irony is its general nature. Addison never indulges in personal satire. His irony is aimed at a class of people and their vices and follies in general.

Irony and urbanity in the essays

In the essay The Scope of Satire, he says that his intention is not to attack individuals. He also promises "never to draw a faulty character which does not fit at least a thousand people". His essays would be written in a spirit of benevolence and with a love of mankind. Such intentions could not but produce a satire of which a chief constituent was 'urbanity'. He is always polite and refined in his expressions. His aim was to combat with criminals " in a body, and to assault the vice without hurting the person". In all the essays, we find this urbanity toning down the irony which could easily have become deadly and malicious like that of Swift and Pope.In his essays on the stage which ridicule the tastes of the contemporary theatre-goers, we have some delectable digs at the expense of the contemporary stage customs of the day. In Stage Realism, irony is employed to make fun of the absurd devices used for realistic effects. In Nicolini and the Lions, there is the typically 'grave' irony of Addison describing the absurd stage conventions of the day as if they were quite natural and reasonable. But the result is quite the opposite of the apparent i.e., the reader is amused and laughs at the ridiculous nature of the conventions. The irony is heightened by the grave tone. But we also note that the irony is urbane. Addison is not biting; nor is he crude and coarse in language.Irony comes out at its best and more devastating in the essays which deal with the follies and foibles of the females. In the essay Fans, we have irony at its sustained best. The whole essay is an extended metaphor describing the fans as if they were weapons in the hands of the women. How gravely and seriously Addison pretends to be a. correspondent who has put up an institution for the training of females in the use of fans. The irony is admirable all through the essay, as he observes: "Women are armed with fans as men with swords, and sometimes do more execution with them". In the essay Female Orators, the irony is again kept up constantly through a collection of ironical remarks and observations. The target in this essay is, obviously enough, what the title itself ironically termed 'female orators' who " can talk whole hours together upon nothing ".Once again the irony occurs because of the difference in tone and intention. A pretended admiration hides the intended ridicule. Yet, though the irony is quite pungent, Addison keeps it from becoming bitter. One has just to imagine what it would have become in the hands of Swift if he were to deal with the same subjects lo realise how urbane the irony of Addison is. Even in such essays as those dealing with the dissection of a coquette's heart and a beau's head where the wit is truly merciless, Addison does not lose his refined and polite manner and his satire is not virulent. He never degrades women and his satire is prompted by a reforming intention. We may feel that he is somewhat patronising but he is always polite as well as general. He shows an " exquisite felicity of gentle ridicule ".

Nowhere is this combination of urbanity and irony seen better than in the essays which deal with Sir Roger de Coverley. The characterisation of the old knight is a supreme example of a combination of mockery and praise which leads to ridicule as well as respect for the knight. The urbanity and the ironical skill of Addison come out clearly in these De Coverley Papers. In Sir Roger at Church, we have the knight being the strict disciplinarian looking after the welfare of his tenats and expecting good behaviour from them in church. He allows, we are told in a serious lone by Addison, no one to sleep in the congregation except himself! In the same essay, we have Sir Roger standing up when all the rest are kneeling in prayer in order to see if every one of his tenants was present. In the essay On Witchcraft, we are given an ironical description of Sir Roger's obvious bewilderment as regards the local witch Moll White. Sir Roger on the Bench tells us of the irrelevant speeches the knight made in the court and the essay has an ironical dig at the 'country folk' who are impressed so easily and who look upon Sir Roger as some great personality because he stood up to speak to judge! In these essays we have the typical quality of Addison's style, a mixture of urbanity and delightful irony, which induces laughter but never at the cost of respect. It is in the portrayal of Sir Roger that we see the power of ridiculing without malignity. Sir Roger's "simplicity of mind is made the medium of much good-natured satire on the manners of the Tory country gentleman of the period". But we never lose our affection or respect for the dear old knight even while we are amused at his easy gullibility, his innocent vanities and simplicity.

We see the same subtle mixture of irony and urbanity in his other essays which satirise the tastes and foibles of the contemporary society. He is quite ironic at the expense of Will Wimble and his trivial occupations. But it is the vice of a class that he is hitting out at and it is for the purpose of reformation. In Rural Manners, he is ironic at the expense of the backwardness of the country folk who tend to look for trends in fashions to the town but are always late and hence out of dete. In A Grinning Match, we see the power of ridiculing absurdities in a tone of seriousness. Again, we see the ridicule at the cost of those people who talk very knowingly about things about which they, in reality, know nothing in the essay Coffee House Politicians.

Addison, we have seem, was always polite and cultured in the use of language. He is refined and civilised in his expressions. Where he could easily, have been virulent, he is only suavely sly. His intention was not to hurt but to improve and thus in his hands irony became urbane. As Macaulay remarks, Addison had in his possession, 'boundless power' and it is his virtue that he never misused this power. He says: "Of Addison it may be confidently affirmed, that he has blackened no man's character, nay, that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find in all the volumes he has left us a single taunt which can be called ungenerous or unkind". Irony gives poignancy and sharpness to his satire, his 'corrective' satire. But it is also 'gentle' because it is humorous and general and, above all, it is accompanied by an urbanity that reflects the very nature of Addison's character itself.

Addison's irony is gentle because it is urbane, Discuss?

Green Land | July 15, 2019 | 0 comments

Irony is the chief weapon in the hands of a satirist. It, is true of Addison who is first and foremost a satirist, a satirist who has a moral purpose behind his satire and ridicule. He aimed at the reformation of morals and manners of the reading public of his country and he sought to achieve this through ridicule. He exposed follies and vices and foibles of the public, the various sections of the public, to ridicule so that the readers by seeing the absurdity of the follies would discard them. The very nature of Addison's satire is humour and the very essence of this humour is irony. "Irony, all delicious in its gravity, forms a large, perhaps the largest, constituent of his humour", as Deighton remarks.

Irony and urbanity : inseparable traits in Addison's satire

Addison's irony is typical of him. It is a special kind of irony which occurs because of the author's pretended sympathy with the opposite point of view while all the time he exposes it to ridicule. Addison's tone is always grave and serious as if he condones the very object he is describing but he leaves no doubt whatsoever about his intention which is to ridicule it. This heightens the ironic effect. The irony is all the more devastating because the victim is approached under the guise of friendship, as Lobban remarks. Pope was not, after all, far off the mark when he says

"Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer"

in connection with Addison's writing. This couplet reveals the essential quality of Addison's irony---the typical mixture of ridicule and suavity, a sly suavity, the close combination of urbanity and irony. Indeed if the irony of Addison is called 'gentle', it is so because the irony is urbane and general. He is never crude or coarse. Neither is he personal. Addison's method is not savagery or virulence; it is urbanity and sly suavity. He never uses bitter language, words that would hurt or offend. Irony is a formidable weapon but Addison uses it for a corrective purpose--to laugh people out of their vices and follies---and hence, he is not savage or ferocious.Connected with the urbanity of his irony is its general nature. Addison never indulges in personal satire. His irony is aimed at a class of people and their vices and follies in general.

Irony and urbanity in the essays

In the essay The Scope of Satire, he says that his intention is not to attack individuals. He also promises "never to draw a faulty character which does not fit at least a thousand people". His essays would be written in a spirit of benevolence and with a love of mankind. Such intentions could not but produce a satire of which a chief constituent was 'urbanity'. He is always polite and refined in his expressions. His aim was to combat with criminals " in a body, and to assault the vice without hurting the person". In all the essays, we find this urbanity toning down the irony which could easily have become deadly and malicious like that of Swift and Pope.In his essays on the stage which ridicule the tastes of the contemporary theatre-goers, we have some delectable digs at the expense of the contemporary stage customs of the day. In Stage Realism, irony is employed to make fun of the absurd devices used for realistic effects. In Nicolini and the Lions, there is the typically 'grave' irony of Addison describing the absurd stage conventions of the day as if they were quite natural and reasonable. But the result is quite the opposite of the apparent i.e., the reader is amused and laughs at the ridiculous nature of the conventions. The irony is heightened by the grave tone. But we also note that the irony is urbane. Addison is not biting; nor is he crude and coarse in language.Irony comes out at its best and more devastating in the essays which deal with the follies and foibles of the females. In the essay Fans, we have irony at its sustained best. The whole essay is an extended metaphor describing the fans as if they were weapons in the hands of the women. How gravely and seriously Addison pretends to be a. correspondent who has put up an institution for the training of females in the use of fans. The irony is admirable all through the essay, as he observes: "Women are armed with fans as men with swords, and sometimes do more execution with them". In the essay Female Orators, the irony is again kept up constantly through a collection of ironical remarks and observations. The target in this essay is, obviously enough, what the title itself ironically termed 'female orators' who " can talk whole hours together upon nothing ".Once again the irony occurs because of the difference in tone and intention. A pretended admiration hides the intended ridicule. Yet, though the irony is quite pungent, Addison keeps it from becoming bitter. One has just to imagine what it would have become in the hands of Swift if he were to deal with the same subjects lo realise how urbane the irony of Addison is. Even in such essays as those dealing with the dissection of a coquette's heart and a beau's head where the wit is truly merciless, Addison does not lose his refined and polite manner and his satire is not virulent. He never degrades women and his satire is prompted by a reforming intention. We may feel that he is somewhat patronising but he is always polite as well as general. He shows an " exquisite felicity of gentle ridicule ".

Nowhere is this combination of urbanity and irony seen better than in the essays which deal with Sir Roger de Coverley. The characterisation of the old knight is a supreme example of a combination of mockery and praise which leads to ridicule as well as respect for the knight. The urbanity and the ironical skill of Addison come out clearly in these De Coverley Papers. In Sir Roger at Church, we have the knight being the strict disciplinarian looking after the welfare of his tenats and expecting good behaviour from them in church. He allows, we are told in a serious lone by Addison, no one to sleep in the congregation except himself! In the same essay, we have Sir Roger standing up when all the rest are kneeling in prayer in order to see if every one of his tenants was present. In the essay On Witchcraft, we are given an ironical description of Sir Roger's obvious bewilderment as regards the local witch Moll White. Sir Roger on the Bench tells us of the irrelevant speeches the knight made in the court and the essay has an ironical dig at the 'country folk' who are impressed so easily and who look upon Sir Roger as some great personality because he stood up to speak to judge! In these essays we have the typical quality of Addison's style, a mixture of urbanity and delightful irony, which induces laughter but never at the cost of respect. It is in the portrayal of Sir Roger that we see the power of ridiculing without malignity. Sir Roger's "simplicity of mind is made the medium of much good-natured satire on the manners of the Tory country gentleman of the period". But we never lose our affection or respect for the dear old knight even while we are amused at his easy gullibility, his innocent vanities and simplicity.

We see the same subtle mixture of irony and urbanity in his other essays which satirise the tastes and foibles of the contemporary society. He is quite ironic at the expense of Will Wimble and his trivial occupations. But it is the vice of a class that he is hitting out at and it is for the purpose of reformation. In Rural Manners, he is ironic at the expense of the backwardness of the country folk who tend to look for trends in fashions to the town but are always late and hence out of dete. In A Grinning Match, we see the power of ridiculing absurdities in a tone of seriousness. Again, we see the ridicule at the cost of those people who talk very knowingly about things about which they, in reality, know nothing in the essay Coffee House Politicians.

Addison, we have seem, was always polite and cultured in the use of language. He is refined and civilised in his expressions. Where he could easily, have been virulent, he is only suavely sly. His intention was not to hurt but to improve and thus in his hands irony became urbane. As Macaulay remarks, Addison had in his possession, 'boundless power' and it is his virtue that he never misused this power. He says: "Of Addison it may be confidently affirmed, that he has blackened no man's character, nay, that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find in all the volumes he has left us a single taunt which can be called ungenerous or unkind". Irony gives poignancy and sharpness to his satire, his 'corrective' satire. But it is also 'gentle' because it is humorous and general and, above all, it is accompanied by an urbanity that reflects the very nature of Addison's character itself.

Addison And Steele

In the essay The Aim of the Spectator, Addison remarks that he would make all areas of society and manners and tastes his target of ridicule if he found any extravagances or fall from good taste in them. He would not hesitate to protest, he says, if Punch grew extravagant. It is in keeping with his contention that he attacks certain conventions of the stage and the tastes of the audience in one set of papers in the Spectator. These essays are Stage Realism, Nicolini and the Lions, Stage Murder, and The Trunk Maker.

The Eassys

In Stage Realism, he attacks the ridiculous stage conventions in practice in the times. Opera managers introduced all sorts of devices in the interests of 'realism' on the stage. As a result there were painted dragons emitting actual fire, and real waterfalls in an otherwise artificial landscape. In one scene in an opera real sparrows were released to fly across the stage and provide real bird music. Addison finds such conventions utterly absurd. He ridicules this confusion of the real with the artificial. He says : "The shadows and realities ought not to be mixed together in the same piece, and...... the scenes which are designed as the representations of nature should be filled with resemblances, and not with the things themselves." He also criticises the fashion of using "a florid from of words" and "tedious circumlocutions".Nicolini and the Lions is an admirably ironical exposition on the Italian opera. Here Addison attacks the " forced thoughts, cold conceits, and unnatural expressions." In the same essay, he criticises the lack of common sense in the audience of the day which enjoyed scenes such as that of the combat between a 'hero' and a sham lion in one of the operas of the day. He reproaches the audience which he says, suffers from a lack of common sense."Our present grievance does not seem to be the want of a good taste, but of common sense."Another essay which comes down hard and ironically upon the tastes and lack of discrimination of the theatre audience of the day is The Trunk-Maker. Here we are told that the audience waits for the trunk-maker's hammer to clap and applaud any particular scene. They do not have any sense of discrimination themselves. The actors too are ridiculed in this essay for measuring the standard of their own performances with the help of the trunk-maker's signals!Stage Murder criticises the contemporary stage practice of using various devices for the introduction of terror and pity on stage. Addison comes down hard on all those devices which he considers barbarous, absurd and crude. He would not exclude from presentation all murders on stage. If it were dramatically relevant and necessary, he would not ask that it is to be omitted from the stage, but he would still ask for the elimination of unnatural murders such as that of Clytemnestra by her son. And he supports his point with the authority of the ancient poet Horace. "I would, therefore, recommend to my countrymen the practice of the ancient poets, who were very sparing of their public executions, and rather chose to perform them behind the scenes, if it could be done with as great an effect upon the audience."

Sound critical approach

Addison's views on the stage and its audience are prompted by the essential sanity and rationality of his outlook. It is not easy to find fault with what he says regarding the absurdities prevalent on the contemporary stage and the lack of sense and taste in the audience. He attacks the irrational, the fantastical, and the absurdities which were too incredible or shocking. He was against extravagance and immoderation of any kind. His view is based on common sense and rationality. The criticism of the stage is prompted by the desire to improve stage techniques and audience's tastes. The views may not be relevant in the context of modem stage and dramatic techniques but in the context of Addison's time their value must have been appreciable.

Discuss Addison as a critic of the contemporary stage. Do you think his observations are correct?

Green Land | July 10, 2019 | 0 comments

In the essay The Aim of the Spectator, Addison remarks that he would make all areas of society and manners and tastes his target of ridicule if he found any extravagances or fall from good taste in them. He would not hesitate to protest, he says, if Punch grew extravagant. It is in keeping with his contention that he attacks certain conventions of the stage and the tastes of the audience in one set of papers in the Spectator. These essays are Stage Realism, Nicolini and the Lions, Stage Murder, and The Trunk Maker.

The Eassys

In Stage Realism, he attacks the ridiculous stage conventions in practice in the times. Opera managers introduced all sorts of devices in the interests of 'realism' on the stage. As a result there were painted dragons emitting actual fire, and real waterfalls in an otherwise artificial landscape. In one scene in an opera real sparrows were released to fly across the stage and provide real bird music. Addison finds such conventions utterly absurd. He ridicules this confusion of the real with the artificial. He says : "The shadows and realities ought not to be mixed together in the same piece, and...... the scenes which are designed as the representations of nature should be filled with resemblances, and not with the things themselves." He also criticises the fashion of using "a florid from of words" and "tedious circumlocutions".Nicolini and the Lions is an admirably ironical exposition on the Italian opera. Here Addison attacks the " forced thoughts, cold conceits, and unnatural expressions." In the same essay, he criticises the lack of common sense in the audience of the day which enjoyed scenes such as that of the combat between a 'hero' and a sham lion in one of the operas of the day. He reproaches the audience which he says, suffers from a lack of common sense."Our present grievance does not seem to be the want of a good taste, but of common sense."Another essay which comes down hard and ironically upon the tastes and lack of discrimination of the theatre audience of the day is The Trunk-Maker. Here we are told that the audience waits for the trunk-maker's hammer to clap and applaud any particular scene. They do not have any sense of discrimination themselves. The actors too are ridiculed in this essay for measuring the standard of their own performances with the help of the trunk-maker's signals!Stage Murder criticises the contemporary stage practice of using various devices for the introduction of terror and pity on stage. Addison comes down hard on all those devices which he considers barbarous, absurd and crude. He would not exclude from presentation all murders on stage. If it were dramatically relevant and necessary, he would not ask that it is to be omitted from the stage, but he would still ask for the elimination of unnatural murders such as that of Clytemnestra by her son. And he supports his point with the authority of the ancient poet Horace. "I would, therefore, recommend to my countrymen the practice of the ancient poets, who were very sparing of their public executions, and rather chose to perform them behind the scenes, if it could be done with as great an effect upon the audience."

Sound critical approach

Addison's views on the stage and its audience are prompted by the essential sanity and rationality of his outlook. It is not easy to find fault with what he says regarding the absurdities prevalent on the contemporary stage and the lack of sense and taste in the audience. He attacks the irrational, the fantastical, and the absurdities which were too incredible or shocking. He was against extravagance and immoderation of any kind. His view is based on common sense and rationality. The criticism of the stage is prompted by the desire to improve stage techniques and audience's tastes. The views may not be relevant in the context of modem stage and dramatic techniques but in the context of Addison's time their value must have been appreciable.

Addison And Steele , The Spectator