IntheeighteenthcenturyBritishperiodicalliteratureunderwentsignificantdevelopmentsinterms

ofform,content,andaudience.Severalfactorscontributedtothesechanges.Priorto1700the
Englishpopularpresswasinitsinfancy.ThefirstBritishnewspaper,theOxfordGazette,was
introducedin1645.TwoyearslatertheLicensingActof1647establishedgovernmentcontrolof
thepressbygrantingtheGazetteastrictlyenforcedmonopolyonprintednews.Asaresult,
otherlateseventeenthcenturyperiodicals,includingTheObserver(1681)andTheAthenian
Gazette(1691),eithersupplementedthenewswithvariedcontent,suchaspolitical
commentary,reviews,andliteraryworks,orprovidedspecializedmaterialtargetingaspecific
readership.Duringthistime,printingpresstechnologywasimproving.Newerpresseswereso
simpletousethatindividualscouldproduceprintedmaterialthemselves.Britishsocietywasin
transitionaswell.Theburgeoningcommercialclasscreatedanaudiencewiththemeans,
education,andleisuretimetoengageinreading.WhentheLicensingActexpiredin1694,
publicationssprangup,notjustinLondon,butallacrossEnglandanditscolonies.
JosephAddisonandRichardSteelearegenerallyregardedasthemostsignificantfiguresinthe
developmentoftheeighteenthcenturyperiodical.Togethertheyproducedthreepublications:the
Tatler(170911),theSpecator(171112),andtheGuardian(1713).Inaddition,Addison
publishedtheFreeHolder(171516),andSteele,whohadbeentheeditoroftheLondonGazette
(theformerOxfordGazette)from1707to1710,producedanumberofotherperiodicals,
includingtheEnglishman(171314),TownTalk(171516),andthePlebeian(1719).Thethree
periodicalsAddisonandSteeleproducedtogetherweregreatsuccessesnoneceased
publicationbecauseofpoorsalesorotherfinancialreasons,butbythechoiceoftheireditors.
Beginningintheeighteenthcenturyandcontinuingtothepresentday,therehasbeendebate
amongcriticsandscholarsoverthecontributionsofAddisonandSteeletotheirjointenterprises.
Addisonhasbeengenerallyseenasthemoreeloquentwriter,whileSteelehasbeenregarded
asthebettereditorandorganizer.
Periodicalsintheeighteenthcenturyincludedsocialandmoralcommentary,andliteraryand
dramaticcriticism,aswellasshortliteraryworks.Theyalsosawtheadventofserializedstories,
whichCharlesDickens,amongothers,wouldlaterperfect.Oneofthemostimportant
outgrowthsoftheeighteenthcenturyperiodical,however,wasthetopical,orperiodical,essay.
AlthoughnovelistDanielDefoemadesomecontributionstoitsevolutionwithhisReviewofthe
AffairsofFrance(170413),AddisonandSteelearecreditedwithbringingtheperiodicalessayto
maturity.Appealingtoaneducatedaudience,theperiodicalessayasdevelopedbyAddisonand
Steelewasnotscholarly,butcasualintone,concise,andadaptabletoanumberofsubjects,
includingdailylife,ethics,religion,science,economics,andsocialandpoliticalissues.Another
innovationbroughtaboutbytheperiodicalwasthepublicationofletterstotheeditor,which
permittedanunprecedenteddegreeofinteractionbetweenauthorandaudience.Initially,
correspondencetoperiodicalswaspresentedinalimited,questionandanswerformof
exchange.AsusedbySteele,letterstotheeditorbroughtnewpointsofviewintotheperiodical
andcreatedasenseofintimacywiththereader.Thefeatureevolvedintoaforumforreadersto
expressthemselves,engageinadiscussiononanimportanteventorquestion,conducta
politicaldebate,oraskadviceonapersonalsituation.Steeleevenintroducedanadvicetothe

lovelorncolumntotheTatlerandtheSpecator.
AddisonandSteeleandothereditorsoftheeighteenthcenturysawtheirpublicationsas
performinganimportantsocialfunctionandviewedthemselvesasmoralinstructorsandarbiters
oftaste.Inpartthesemoralizinganddidacticpurposeswereaccomplishedthroughthecreation
ofaneditorialvoiceorpersona,suchasIsaacBickerstaffintheTatler,NestorIronsideinthe
Guardian,and,mostimportantly,Mr.SpectatorintheSpecator.Throughwitty,sometimes
satiricalobservationsofthecontemporaryscene,thesefictionalstandinsfortheeditors
attemptedtocastigateviceandpromotevirtue.Theytaughtlessonstoencouragecertain
behaviorsintheirreaders,especiallyselfdiscipline.Moralswereaprimaryconcern,especially
formeninbusiness.Women,too,formedapartofthereadershipofperiodicals,andtheywere
instructedinwhatwasexpectedofthem,whatkindofidealstheyshouldaspireto,andwhat
limitsshouldbeontheirconcernsandinterests.
Theimpactofperiodicalswasbothimmediateandongoing.Throughouttheeighteenthcentury
andbeyondthereweremanyimitatorsofAddisonandSteele'spublications.Thesesuccessors,
whicharosenotjustinEngland,butincountriesthroughoutEuropeandintheUnitedStatesas
well,modeledtheirstyle,content,andeditorialpoliciesonthoseoftheTatler,theSpecator,and
theGuardian.Someimitators,suchastheFemaleSpectator(1744),weretargetedspecifically
atwomen.AddisonandSteele'sperodicalsachievedabroaderinfluencewhentheywere
translatedandreprintedincollectededitionsforusethroughoutthecentury.Theepistolary
exchanges,shortfiction,andserializedstoriesincludedintheperiodicalshadanimportant
influenceonthedevelopmentofthenovel.Inaddition,celebratedfiguresfromBenjaminFranklin
andJeanJacquesRousseautoMarkTwainhaveacknowledgedtheimpactofthe
eighteenthcenturyperiodical,particularlytheSpecator,ontheirdevelopmentaswritersand
thinkers.