A Paratextual Battle: Mottos, Meaning and Conflict in Printed Journals 1709–1712

Abstract

Abstract Within studies of the influence upon eighteenth-century print culture of the Tatler (1709–1711) and the Spectator (1711–1712, 1714), little attention has been given to Addison and Steele’s innovative incorporation of a prefatory Latin or Greek quotation at the head of each issue. A unique feature at the time of the Tatler’s first publication, the initially unchanging motto quickly became a focus for attention, imitation and literary competition. When the rival journal the Female Tatler (1709–1710) appeared with similar paratextual adornment, the ensuing contest sparked a rapid intensification of the motto’s significance and function. This catalysed the development of issue-specific mottos, a technique that outlasted the Tatler print war to become involved in further political print contests until its ultimate adoption as a mark of genteel intellectualism in the Spectator. This article will examine the initial motivations for including a prefatory motto, exploring the unfolding conflict with the Female Tatler together with the way in which paratextual quotations were weaponized in this short, sharp rivalry. Further paratextual battles between the Examiner (1710–1711), Whig Examiner (1710) and Medley (1710–1711) will then be investigated, together with the Spectator’s use of the motto as a literary weapon to consolidate educational elitism in print culture.