Sir Roger de Coverley, Essays from the Spectator

The Kings Treasuries of Literature

by Richard Steele Addison

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. This text refers to the Bibliobazaar edition.

Genres: Essays, Classics, Nonfiction, History

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1711

Reviews

[JoAnn Hallum]

I gave it four stars because the style was hard for me and I need to grow as a reader before I can really appreciate it. That isn’t it’s fault though.
It is a charming, funny book. I pre read it for Ambleside Online Year 9.

[Graychin]

Sir Roger de Coverly is a Tory of the old, old school. A country gentleman, seeming wise and seeming fool, he steps out of the text of The Spectator as one of Addison and Steele’s most memorable recurring characters. The early 18th-century prose here is wonderful, of course. The tale of Sir Roger’s failed romance with the cruel widow, his exploits in the city and at the hunt, and his opinion on beards will not make you a better person. It might, however, make you a little bit happier, at least for a while.

[Jess]

I highly recommend this work as it is not only highly entertaining but the style in which it is written is very fine. It is a pleasure to read and I could suggest no finer example of English for the writer and speaker to emulate.

[mimi brown]

academic reading

[Marley]

I've wanted to read the Roger de Coverley papers since I was in high school and finally did. I have my grandmother's copy printed in 1904 and edited by Mary E. Litchfield. I have been unable to discover who Litchfield was, but her intro and notes are superb, covering history literature, theatre, religion and culture in general, putting the Tatler and Spectator in historical perspective.I'm guessing that Addison and Steele a(certainly the former) and that's a shame. Civility is beyond our current generation of mopes and crackheads.

Litchfield goes in to how "de Coverly" and the papers as a whole, created the art of reading and civil discussion. I found "the Knight" at times a little TOO nice, but why not? He was killed off in the end so someone who didn't love him couldn't mess with him.

I'm sick of incivility (me included) Reading the deCoverly papers made me a little nicer, at least for the day.

I'd want to stick around the early 18th century for awhile and hang out in some pleasant coffehouse, (not Starbucks) so I'm digging around to see what else I can find at home.

[Sajia Afrin]

It's really a good witty work of the author . He explores , flowered an flourished of his time through the character Sir Roger... it's really an enjoyably book to know that time's political and social situation....

[Addy Smith]

Read this one for school.. not too bad but it was a little hard to follow and I didn’t enjoy it all that much.

[Zvonimir]

It's a joy to finally read something well written for a change.

[Peter Brown]

An acquired taste which unfortunately I’ve not made enough effort to acquire - the articles had the occasional moments of connection though the manners, habits and foibles of these wealthy fogies equate with a largely lost thus arcane way of life. I found it hard to always detect the implicit mockery. The thirty mostly four page articles were originally contributions to The Spectator as founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele (one Eustace Budgell [1686-1737] is also credited on the title page and who like Virginia Woolf ended his life by weighting himself down with stones and throwing himself out of a boat - he had tried to persuade his daughter to join him in this desperate act but wisely she declined).

The wood engravings are by Richard Shirley Smith who now in his nineties is alive and well and living in Hampstead; he told me that this was a very early piece of work that he did for the Folio Society (1967). Well worth looking at his website richardshirleysmith.co.uk to enjoy his considerable range of paintings, murals and engravings.

This volume has useful, though hit and miss, nine page ‘glossary and notes’, as well as ten page introduction by John Hampden.

[Albert Meier]

This book contains selections from the early 18th century paper the Spectator pertaining to the life and views of the fictitious character Sir Roger de Coverley. The authors sought to entertain and to reform society not by lecture or sermonizing, but by lighthearted mockery of what is foolish. Most of the characters are actually caricatures, yet they are sketched with such a gentle hand they delight rather than repulse.

For the modern reader it is a challenge to understand the setting and at times the language, but not an unpleasant challenge. From it one gleans not only a glimpse polite British society in the early 1700's but also genuine enjoyment at the wisdom and foibles of Sir Roger and the members of his club.

[Barry Russell]

This diary is so quaint! The diarist paints a sweet picture of his character and that of his friend and he understates everything in the English fashion of the time. He likes living the simple life of a country gentleman and he shares this throughout. I felt myself transported to another age when it was possible to enjoy those delightful social exchanges he describes so well.

[Joey]

I read this collection for a bit more insight into the period. In among the book are a few outstanding and very funny segments, but the book was occasionally a little dull and was usually without incident. The humour is very gentle, it was written to be popular and easy to digest. The characters portrayed are all congenial and you can see why the essays were hit in their day.

[Sharon]

Because of its historical context, the essays are not particularly easy to read, but pleasurable, nonetheless, if one is so inclined. The Spectator's observations both of Sir Roger and of 18th Century society (in England) do have a corollary to 21 Century society if one is open to the suggestion.

[Clarissa]

Not very much happens, but you get a great view of life in the early 18th century. I also really enjoy the clear, and elegant language of writing from this era.