The literary analysis of periodical essay is feasible to analyze once we get to know about this niche. The Periodical essay is a piece of nonfiction work. This work used to publish in some journal or magazine and written in a series.
Periodical Essay gained popularity in the 18th century while the notable writers were Richard Steele, Oliver Goldsmith, Joseph Addison and Samuel Johnson. In the periodical essays, the basic theme was related to manners and virtue while pleasing the author to write anything he or she wants. the length of the essay comes in two sides of the column.
Why was Periodical Essay popular?
The main grounds behind the popularity of Periodical Essay is that it went well with the eighteenth century enthusiasm. This literary genre was highly attractive to the middle class who were already going through tough times of revolution. This class also begin to attain education, thus the number of readers were increasing on daily basis. Many middle class readers welcomed this essay because it was light to read in its nature. The writing style was so uncomplicated that any layman can understand it without any complication.
Publishers from early eighteenth century recognized the reading taste from that era of the readers and encouraged the authors to come up with such pieces. The literary analysis of Periodical Essay is incomplete without discussing that how individuals of that time used it to comment on various topics like social issues, politics, religious matters, etc.
This style of writing also got popular because it was more like speaking to the person at the other end. It was less of tale telling and more of explaining a point of view. People who were inclining more towards expressing the personal opinion liked the idea of such essays.
Another aspect that made periodical essay famous was that it began to highlight the female perspective. It was very seldom in the 18th century era that anyone could give importance to the female idea. This factor spiked the female interest in the genre and more female readers started reading these essays.
Attributes of Periodical Essay
While looking to perform the literary analysis of Periodical Essay, one need to look at the well known works of Joseph Addison and Steele. They used to co-author the series called The Spectator and Tatler. In the series of Tatler, it was about exposing the wrong art of living. They were unearthing the shrewd behaviors, made up speeches by asking people to adopt simpler way of life via dressing, speaking, and with the behavior. It must mention here that the sole purpose of Periodical Essays were to improvise the society and morally.
The writing pattern of these essays was by developing the fictional characters giving advice, revising the discourse, sharing the observation in the most cultured manner.
After ending The Tatler in January 1711, Addison and Steele started writing The Spectator, which was an instant hit. The essay was a major hit amongst the men and women while uplifting the literary career of Addison as well. These essays were comprised of righteous ideas and introducing values in a humorous and ironical way.
If you want to acquire additional knowledge about literary analysis of Periodical Essay, then do not hesitate to write or comment below.
More From Word Fuss
Literary themes in A Portrait of an Artist: Click Here
Tragic Flaw in Hamlet: Click Here
Literary analysis of Kurtz: Click Here