Lead: In 1711, English British essayists Joseph Addison and Richard Steele founded a periodical known as the The Spectator. It exposed the growing British middle class to the ideas of the Enlightenment and gave authors a chance to try out a new style: the periodic essay. Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts. Content: Sam Johnson said of Joseph Addison, one of the founders of The Spectator: “Whoever wishes to attain an English style, familiar but not coarse, and elegant but not ostentatious, must give his days and nights to the volumes of Addison.” Download Share
