“The Spectator’s Club” The Social Hierarchy

The Periodical Essay: Manners, Society, Gender

Steele: [The Spectator's Club]

The Spectator, No 2, Friday, March 2, 1711

The Spectator introduces a group of men that would be regarded as esteemed gentlemen, from their time. The Spectator, No 2,  Friday, March 2, 1711, is an outline of each member's qualifications and why they are affiliated with The Spectator's Club. "These “members” included representatives of commerce, the army, the town (respectively, Sir Andrew Freeport, Captain Sentry, and Will Honeycomb), and of the country gentry (Sir Roger de Coverley)." These men were aimed to represent the most intelligent and influential people of their time. The Spectator was published in London by Sir Richard Steele and Joseph Addison. They assembled these men together to discuss “enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality.” All of these men would help shine a light on the importance of discussion of religious and political partisanship and to make this type of discussion normal. They would create a platform for different writers to show that their individual writing could be entertaining and serious. The Spectator, No 2, Friday, March 2, 1711, is a metaphor for what the hierarchy of England resembled in the 1700's and how society acted.     

The first name mentioned was Sir Roger de Coverley. I believe that he was the first person to talk about in the essay as he best describes the main requirements for being in the club. He is known to have good manners from his peers, he is from the right society being an upper class, and his gender is a white male. Check, Check, Check.  I personally believe that The Spectator's Club chose its members not just from their merit but from their status. Granted it was 1711 and social status was the most important aspect of truly anything, so Sir Roger de Coverley was a good first choice. 

 He was best known for being a descendent of his great-grandfather who was the inventor of the famous country-dance, which was named after him. Sir Roger would be regarded by his peers as a fine individual and loved by many. Highly respected by his peer, servants, and is why he is the first mentioned in the essay. 

I personally believe that Sir Roger was put first to show the reader that The Spectator was respectable and would use people of stature in society. Sir Roger's role was to represent the integrity of the paper by being the higher-class elite that everyone wants to be. 

The next gentleman that was deemed esteemed enough to be apart of The Spectator's club was not named. I believe him being unnamed was to emphasize the importance of the criteria of who is selected to be apart of this group. The man is described as apart of the Inner Temple or basically a lawyer. He is also said to be a man of great probity, wit, and understanding. The mystery man is further illustrated by how his presence could have a positive effect on actors at a play and how people would be lucky if he came to the play as the actors would want to please him. This description of this man is only to further show the importance of the type of people that The Spectator's Club accepts into their club and what audience they are aiming towards. This part is essential to understanding the audience being aimed at as only people that are educated or significant enough to understand the material being discussed is being targeted. 

The importance of the mystery man is to also show the hierarchy of the current society. The powerful elite in Sir Roger was followed by a highly educated lawyer.

The next man that meets the criteria is Sir Andrew Freeport. Recognized as a successful merchant in London. Regarded as a man that has noble intent with trade and believes that true power comes from arts and industry.

 I believe that The Spectator including a man such as Sir Andrew Freeport as a similar reason to the mystery man. He first has the gentleman-like qualities needed to be apart of the club and more important introduces a more relatable club member that would expand the audience. At a time in history when many people in England would be working at the port or on a ship, introducing someone that directly involves the shipping industry is not by coincidence. 

As the last character, Sir Andrew falls into the order of society as a merchant. This order is not random as Steele is illustrating what he believes to be the society's hierarchy. Elite, Lawyer, and now a merchant.  

The next introduction is for Captain Sentry. He is described as a gentleman of great courage, good understanding, but invincible modesty. A military man that represents the ideal captain. He is never overbearing but does expect the men below him to obey orders as he obeys orders from the men above him. I believe he is aimed to gain the viewership of the military as England was a major powerhouse in the world military at the time and many young men were soldiers. Having someone like Captain Sentry would closely relate to a larger audience and increase the overall popularity of The Spectator. 

I also believe it is interesting that Steele would but a Captain or someone that represents the military so low on his social hierarchy. Especially for his time, England was a military powerhouse and soldiers had greater privileges than a typical citizen.  Possible Steele's true views of the military are being shown through his evaluation as the military is only fourth on his society's hierarchy.      

The next gentleman that is introduced is WIll Honeycomb. A man who is described as a  ladies man in every way. Handsome, smart, wealthy, and knows how to dress. I believe that Honeycomb's main purpose is to attract the female audience. Granted at the time only women that came from families that could afford to teach them how to read would be cable of reading this but The Spector left out no possible audience. Men would also be able to see what women would possibly want in a man's character by mimicking Honeycomb.

I personally believe Honeycomb's placement in society's hierarchy makes the most sense. A beautiful man that understands women. Granted he is not the smartest nor the wealthiest but can do someone that other men cannot. That is to be desired by women by more than just their wealth or social position.   

The last person that is talked about is a clergyman. He is regarded as a very philosophical man that rarely joins the club but when he does his presence is welcomed. The clergyman unlike the other is not specifically good with business or influencing a large number of people but is respected in his opinions. I believe that the clergyman is aimed to represent the average man. He may have noticeable faults but also has many respectable pros. He creates the last possible audience that The Speataor could market by encouraging even the average man to read The Spectator.

I believe that the clergyman coming in last was not by mistake. Granted at the time Steele lived, religion did have a very powerful backing but in the terms of logic and wit, I believe Steele purposefully put the clergy at the bottom to make a point that religion is important enough to be on the list but not as significant. 

The Spectator's Club is truly remarkable marketing for its time. Without social media or really technology, an individual's ability to connect to a specific piece of writing was essential to the success of any paper or essay. It connected to the audience of that time  With the second issue of The Spectator, Steele was able to do just that and found a way to relate to everyone in his time period. I believe that Steele is showing the audience what he believes to be the social hierarchy of his society.   

 

Sources: 

British Literature Wiki. "Social and Family Life in the Late 17th & Early 18th Centuries" WordPress. https://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/social-and-family-life-in-the-late17th-early-18th-centuries/ 

Kuiper, Kathleen. "The Spectator," Encyclopaedia Britannica. Feb 15, 2007. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Spectator-British-periodical-1711-1712 

Rutgers. "THE SPECTATOR, Friday, March 2, 1711 [Steele".  http://www2.scc.rutgers.edu/spectator/text/march1711/no2.html