Joseph Addison

Adam James Smith (York St John University)

Ed. by Nicholas Seager, University of Keele
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

Born 1 May 1672
Died 17 Jun 1719
Activity 1705-1719

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Essayist
Journalist

Resources

Addison's Works

Save to Bookshelf

Joseph Addison’s most significant contribution to literary history is undoubtedly his collaboration with Richard Steele on

The Spectator

(1711-12). Addison was also a poet and a playwright, finding success in theatres with the universally praised

Cato

(1713). Though a convincing polymath, Addison was most accomplished as a writer and is remembered for his criticism and commentary.

Addison was born in Milston, Wiltshire, on 1 May 1672. His parents were Lancelot Addison (1632-1703), vicar of Milston, and Jane (née Gulston) (c. 1635-1684), sister to the future Bishop of Bristol. Joseph had three younger siblings: Gulston (1673-1709), Dorothy (born 1674) and Lancelot (1680-1710). Little is known of Dorothy, other than that she was twice married. Both brothers would eventually die in India,

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

2202 words

Citation: Smith, Adam James. "Joseph Addison". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 October 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=36, accessed 24 November 2024.]

View recommended reading for this article