"His best essays approach near to absolute perfection," said Macaulay in speaking of the contributions of Addison, "nor is their excellence more wonderful than their variety. His invention never seems to flag; nor is he ever under the necessity of repeating himself or of wearing out a subject. There are no dregs in his wine. He regales us after the fashion of that prodigal nabob who held that there was only one good glass in a bottle. As soon as we have tasted the first sparkling foam of a jest, it is withdrawn, and a fresh draught of nectar is at our lips. On the Monday we have an allegory as lively and ingenious as button's 'Auction of Lives'; on the Tuesday an Eastern apologue, as richly colored as the tales of Scheherazade; on the Wednesday, a character described with the skill of La Bruyère; on the Thursday, a scene from common life, equal to the best chapters in the icar of Wakefield; on the Friday, some sly Horatian pleasantry on fashionable follies, on hoops, patches, or puppet shows, and on the Saturday a religious meditation, which will bear a comparison with the finest pages of Massillon."
In teaching these papers to a class, life and manners of the period should be thrown into the limelight to interest pupils. There should be a good beginning made in outside reading from books that give live pictures of the times. Such subjects as the status of the country squire, hunting customs, modes of travel, coffee-houses, clubs, theatres, superstitions, conditions of politics, the beau, the belle, the dress of the period, the amusements, London life, streets, a fashionable life, garden, library, trade, and the church--all these are held up to delightful consideration.
"The Sir Roger de Coverley Papers" are the most popular portion of the Spectator. Before beginning these papers, however, a class ought to read with care the first essay published, entitled "The Spectator," in which they can trace the resemblance to Addison. The second essay (on the Club) should also be read with great care, so that the broad outlines of the various characters are truly appreciated. The flesh and blood pictures of the poor relation in Will Wimble, the merchant in Sir Andrew Freeport, the fop in Will Honeycomb, and best of all, the country gentleman in Sir Roger, can be filled in as the reading continues through the various essays and as the incidents and comments serve as sidelights upon character.
The playful humor, the vivid pictures of the times, the fund of information, the smoothness and elegance of style, the lofty moral sentiment, the shrewd characterizations, the pointed comments on life and manners, the delicate satire, the kindly spirit, the gossipy tone, the inexhaustible run of thoughts, the manliness and human sympathy--these are a few of the qualities that have endeared The Spectator to readers. By discussion and reading aloud in class try to lead classes to appreciate the personalities back of the papers.
Lamb's Essays of Elia
A true follower of Addison is Charles Lamb, whose essays published in 1822 found loving response in the hearts of all lovers of books. Lamb was a fine-grained romanticist, a lover of the Elizabethans, a happy observer of the humors of his own day, a man whimsical and sympathetic. Some one has called him the best loved, though not the most loved, of English writers, for his appeal is to those of fine sensibilities.
Lamb is just Lamb. Through the essays shines his personality. His brave, manly life, the sadness of his relations to his sister Mary, his simple devotedness to duty, his loving circle of friends--these must be known by a class before they appreciate the essays. His witticisms, his insight into character, his wisdom, his self-betrayal, his felicitous phrase, his tender pathos, his charm, his whimsicality, his fine ideals, his quaintness--help pupils to see and feel these traits in the essays. Many of the essays have allusions to parts of his life history, as "The South-Sea House," "The Old Benchers of the Inner Temple," "Christ's Hospital Five and Thirty Years Ago," "Mackery End in Hertfordshire," and "Blakesmore in H---shire." Parts of these can be read aloud. "Dream Children" is a little classic of pathos. "Dissertation on Roast Pig" and "Praise of Chimney Sweepers," on the other hand, are splendid examples of wit and humor. Besides these, "Old China," "A Chapter on Ears," "Mrs. Battle's Opinions on Whist," "Barbara S.," and other favorites can be read. It spoils Lamb to try to analyze the essay; it must simply be accepted and enjoyed.
The name Elia was taken from a clerk in the South-Sea House and attached in fun to the first essay. Bridget is his sister Mary.
The Essays of Macaulay
"The most restive of juvenile minds," said [Edmund] Gosse [1330?-1408], "if induced to enter one of Macaulay's essays, is almost certain to reappear at the other end of it gratified, and to an appreciable extent, cultivated." It is almost safe to say that Macaulay has led thousands of readers into more intensive reading along historical and literary lines. His essays fall into two groups: historical and critical. The essays on "Lord Clive" and "Warren Hastings" illuminate the study of English history; while the essay on Frederick the Great develops continental history. Chief among his essays of literary criticism are the essays on Milton, Addison, Johnson, [Oliver] Goldsmith [1730-1774], and Madame d'Arblay [Fanny Burney, 1752-1840].
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