Genius Fan

In 1748, at the age of seven, James Boswell was introduced to a character that would become one of his first role models: The Spectator, author of highly popular essays about people and society in London in the early years of the Eighteenth century. So when Boswell managed to wangle from his father an 8 month education break in London, between 1762 and 1763, the young Scot daydreamed of being like The Spectator, moving amongst the London throng, observing, meeting, charming, commenting. Two men co-authored The Spectator essays: Joseph Addison (1672-1719) and Richard Steele 11671-1729).

“I hoped by degrees to attain some degree of propriety. Mr. Addison’s character in Sentiment mixed with a little of the gayety of Sir Richard Steele, & the manners of Mr. Digges,” wrote Boswell in his private journal on Wednesday 1 December, 1762. This journal was never meant to be published, though certainly shared with a small group of friends back in Scotland. The full journal, dating from 5 November 1762 to 6 August 1763, was re-discovered back in 1930 and published as Boswell’s London Journal 1762 – 1763 in December 1950. Happy birthday! Addison, Steele and The Spectator all pop up throughout the journal (as does the name West Digges, an actor Boswell had met in Edinburgh previously).

The Spectator essays were published six times a week, between 1711 and 1712, by both Addison and Steele, 555 in total. And then a further 80 in 1714, by Steele on his own. It was Boswell’s tutor John Dun who introduced the young Scot to The Spectator to help his reading and writing, and it’s likely he read their essays in a bound volume much the same as I have, and which I bought back in September 2021. Back then I had just started reading Boswell’s London Journal and I was mad for following up every reference of book or scholarship that I could find. (Still am. Don’t judge me. It’s an addiction.) You can’t read his London Journal, one of the many biographies written about him or scholarly works without encountering a mention of The Spectator. My copy of The Spectator issues is a ninth edition, comes in 4 volumes, was printed for J. Tonson in the Strand and published in 1729. I bought them online for £84.50 (they’ll be 300 years old in a couple of years. Isn’t that something).

Remember when you were in your teens or twenties and escaped your family…it’s likely you had an idol whose behaviour and outlook you tried to emulate. There are mentions and references to The Spectator throughout the Journal. I’ve pulled out three below.

Saturday 8 January 1763: “…as we drove along, and spoke good english, I was full of rich imagination of London, ideas suggested by the Spectator and such as I could not explain to most people.”

Sunday 10 April 1763: “I returned to my friend’s chambers, & we read some of Mr. Addison’s papers in the Spectator with infinite relish.”

Tuesday 28 June 1763: “Temple & I drank Coffee at Will’s so often mentioned in the Spectator.”