The Spectator begins publication
Poet involved
What happened
In 1711, Joseph Addison and Richard Steele launched The Spectator. The daily paper aimed to refine taste, manners and moral judgement among a broad polite readership. Its fictional persona and social essays became hugely influential.
Literary impact
The Spectator shaped eighteenth-century prose style, criticism and polite literary culture. It helped define the audience for Augustan poetry and popularised discussion of imagination, taste and moral sentiment.
Source: Wikipedia
