Addisonian Afterlives: Joseph Addison in Eighteenth-Century Culture

Abstract

Eighteenth-century commentators often used the Bible and sacred inspiration as a tool for measuring the significance of Joseph Addison and his writings. The quasi-scriptural character of Addison's writings was more than a matter of their popularity; it was an effect of Addison's role in the culture. Aside from being a widely read author and respected normative guide, Addison was taken as a model of social being. The esteem for his writings shaded into an admiration of his personality. While Addison's virtue and elegance embodied polite culture, he could also represent the other-worldly and pious aspirations invoked by the Scriptures themselves.