Work / monument · text

The Spectator (1711)

1711–1712 · 18th century

The Spectator was a daily periodical published in London in 1711 and 1712, founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. Its essays, written in the voice of a fictional club of observers, commented on manners, morals, literature and fashion for a middle-class readership in the coffee houses. It shaped polite taste and the English essay, and it was widely reprinted in collected volumes.

The Spectator (1711)
Image: Joseph Addison · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). The Spectator (1711). In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/the-spectator-1711
MLA
“The Spectator (1711).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/the-spectator-1711. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “The Spectator (1711).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/the-spectator-1711.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘The Spectator (1711)’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/the-spectator-1711 (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻