The Tatler

The Tatler was a periodical journal created by Richard Steele. Firstly published in April 1709, it was printed thrice weekly until 1711. Steele used the pen name 'Isaac Bickerstaff, Esquire' to create a narrator for the journal.

As the journal included many different topics and issues, its target audience is broad and not specified. Steele recognized, both woman and men, as a target audience of his essays. Themes of entertainment can be found, which constituted itself in humorous and ironic essays on different characters and stories. Furthermore, the journal also focused on moralities and politeness by including essays on how people should act, live and treat each other. Additionally, it commented on social and political issues with the inclusion of current domestic and international news. Lastly, different anecdotes, scandals and stories on famous and controversial personalities were included. Most of the articles were anecdotal, fictionized or extracted from gossip at the London coffeehouses.

The journal was mostly associated with the views of the Whigs and expressed criticism toward the Queen Anne society. With its essays The Tatler tried to create the ideal view on a gentlewoman and a gentleman to educate its readers. The periodical format inspired many other journals in Britain afterward. Most notably is The Spectator, which was created in 1711 by Richard Steele and Joseph Addison.

Sources

Graham, Walter. “Defoe's "Review" and Steele's "Tatler": The Question of Influence.” The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, vol. 33, no. 2, 1934, pp. 250-254.

Kuiper, Kathleen. “The Tatler.” Britannica, 15 February 2007, https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Tatler. Accessed 29 April 2023.

Lindsay, Alexander. “Some Drafts by Richard Steele For The Tatler, The Spectator, and The Guardian.” The British Library, vol. 20, no. 2, 1994, pp. 163-173.

Pfanner, Eric. “300 Years of Telling Tales, Britain’s Tatler Still Thrives.” The New York Times, 4 October 2009, p.B7.

Shevelow, Kathryn. “Fathers and Daughters: Women as Readers of the ‘Tatler’.” The Scriblerian and The Kit-Cats, vol.21, no.1, 1988, pp. 39-40.