The Spectator was a daily publication founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele

in England, lasting from 1711 to 1712. Each "paper", or "number", was

approximately 2,500 words long, and the original run consisted of 555 numbers,
beginning on 1 March 1711.[1] These were collected into seven volumes. The paper
was revived without the involvement of Steele in 1714, appearing thrice weekly for
six months, and these papers when collected formed the eighth volume. Eustace
Budgell, a cousin of Addison's, also contributed to the publication. One of the
principal conceits of The Spectator is its fictional narrator, Mr. Spectator. The first
number is dedicated to his life story. Mr. Spectator speaks very little, communicating
mainly through facial gestures. His unassuming profile enables him to circulate
widely throughout society and fulfill his position as "spectator". He comments on the
habits, foibles, and social faux pas of his fellow citizens. He also notes the irony of
his volubility in prose compared to his taciturnity in daily life.

The second number of The Spectator introduces the members of the "Spectator
Club", Mr. Spectator's close friends. This device provides the authors with a cast of
secondary characters to be drawn on in stories and examples of social conduct. In
order to foster an inclusive ethos, the club members are drawn from many different
walks of life. The best known of these characters is Sir Roger de Coverley, an
English squire of Queen Anne's reign. He exemplifies the values of an old country
gentleman, and is portrayed as lovable but somewhat ridiculous, making his Tory
politics seem harmless but silly. Will Honeycomb is a "rake" who "is very ready at
that sort of discourse with which men usually entertain women". (No. 2) He is
reformed near the end of The Spectator when he marries. Andrew Freeport is a
merchant, and the club also includes a general and a priest. In Number 10, Mr.
Spectator states that The Spectator will aim "to enliven morality with wit, and to
temper wit with morality". He hopes it will be said he has "brought philosophy out of
closets and libraries, schools, and colleges, to dwell in clubs and assemblies, at tea-
tables and coffeehouses". He recommends that readers of the paper consider it "as
a part of the tea-equipage" and set aside time to read it each morning.[2] The
Spectator sought to provide readers with topics for well-reasoned discussion, and to
equip them to carry on conversations and engage in social interactions in a polite
manner.[3] In keeping with the values of Enlightenment philosophies of their time,
the authors of The Spectator promoted family, marriage, and courtesy. Despite a
modest daily circulation of approximately 3,000 copies, The Spectator was widely
read; Joseph Addison estimated that each number was read by 60,000 Londoners,
about a tenth of the capital's population at the time. Contemporary historians and
literary scholars, meanwhile, do not consider this to be an unreasonable claim; most
readers were not themselves subscribers but patrons of one of the subscribing
coffeehouses. These readers came from many stations in society, but the paper
catered principally to the interests of England's emerging middle classmerchants
and traders large and small.
"The Spectator" also had many readers in the American colonies. In particular,
James Madison read the paper avidly as a teenager. It is said to have had a big
influence on his world view, lasting throughout his long life. [4]

Jrgen Habermas sees The Spectator as instrumental in the formation of the public
sphere in 18th century England.[5] Although The Spectator declares itself to be
politically neutral, it was widely recognised as promoting Whig values and interests.

The Spectator continued to be popular and widely read in the late 18th and 19th
centuries. It was sold in eight-volume editions. Its prose style, and its marriage of
morality and advice with entertainment, were considered exemplary. The decline in
its popularity has been discussed by Brian McCrea and C. S. Lewis.