The present state of wit (1711), and excerpts from The English Theophrastus

In Short

This collection pairs a contemporary survey of the periodical press during the reign of Queen Anne with a compilation of "modern characters" influenced by classical traditions. The survey tracks the rise and influence of essayists like Richard Steele and Joseph Addison, while the character sketches provide a satirical anatomy of the "wit," the "critic," and the "fop-poet." It serves as a vital historical snapshot of a time when the periodical essay was a newly minted, powerful force in shaping public taste, morality, and political discourse.

The Story

The narrative arc begins in the bustling coffee-houses of London, the primary theaters for literary and political combat in 1711. The opening section offers a guided tour of the "present state of wit," evaluating the various weekly papers that vied for the attention of the reading public. It chronicles the decline of older, more pedantic or purely partisan voices—such as those of the Review and the Observator—and the ascendancy of a fresh, engaging style of writing. The central drama here is the emergence of the Tatler and its successor, the Spectator. The author treats these publications not merely as newspapers, but as cultural phenomena that dared to lecture the town on its own follies, vanity, and superficiality.

The story moves from the excitement of this literary innovation to the inevitable scramble that follows success. As the original "Isaac Bickerstaff" (the persona used by Steele) steps aside, a host of copycats and opportunistic "wit-carriers" attempt to seize his mantle, only to fail because they lack the depth, judgment, and moral authority of their predecessor. The argument progresses toward a celebration of a new ideal: the writer who does not simply flatter the public's vices, but holds up a mirror to them, compelling the "fops, fools, and vain coquettes" to reconsider their lives.

This progression into analysis continues in the latter portion of the volume, which shifts from the history of journals to the dissection of human types. Here, the narrative becomes a series of sharp-edged portraits. We meet the "fop-poet," a parasite who smuggles French fancies and steals the intellectual labor of others; the "critic," who has devolved from a judge of merit into a mere fault-finder; and the "virtuoso," whose commitment to trivial, expensive hobbies is presented as the ultimate vanity. The text concludes not with a resolution of these tensions, but with a philosophy of the mind. It argues that wit and judgment are not separate faculties, but one single, energetic light. The final pages warn that the most dangerous traps are those set by one's own pride, as the "great wits" often fall victim to their own weariness or an inability to sustain their early brilliance. It is a portrait of a society that prizes the appearance of wisdom, yet struggles daily with the weight of its own performance.

How It Unfolds

The coffee-house survey The text opens by mapping the competitive terrain of London’s periodical landscape, where political pamphlets and literary essays struggle for dominance. It contrasts the declining, dry polemics of earlier writers with the vibrant, influential voices of the new essayists.

The rise of Bickerstaff The focus narrows to the immense impact of Richard Steele and Joseph Addison, whose work effectively reshaped the moral and intellectual habits of the town. Their writing is depicted as a corrective force, successfully challenging the fashionable vices of both the court and the city.

The scramble of the imitators As the original authors transition to new projects, a wave of lesser writers attempt to fill the void with pale imitations of the Tatler. These hopeful successors are exposed as lacking the fundamental "manner of thinking" required to truly capture the public imagination.

The anatomy of the modern character The work shifts into a series of clinical, satirical sketches that define the archetypes of the age. Each profile acts as a cautionary tale, illustrating how vanity and the pursuit of reputation often lead to absurdity rather than true distinction.

The final judgment on wit The collection closes with a series of aphorisms that attempt to define the relationship between intellect, memory, and the inevitable decay of inspiration. It ends on a sober note, acknowledging the difficulty of sustaining a creative life against the pressures of time and ego.

The People

The figures in this book are less individuals than they are functions of the eighteenth-century social machine. Richard Steele (and his collaborator Joseph Addison) appears as the primary protagonist; he is the "great master" who successfully bridges the gap between high scholarship and the tea-table, using his influence to steer the public toward virtue. Against him stand the "fop-poets" and "witlings," a desperate class of pretenders who haunt places like Will’s Coffee-House, stealing "French fancies" and hoping to gain status through proximity to true talent.

We also encounter the "modern critic," a figure who has lost the ability to appreciate excellence and spends his days as a "fault-finder," much like an executioner who delights in the destruction of others' reputations. Finally, there is the "virtuoso," the man of "industrious idleness" who represents the ultimate folly: the refinement of triviality into an art form. These figures serve as mirrors for the reader, forcing a choice between the balanced, honest pursuit of knowledge and the hollow, performative life of the city.

In Its Own Voice

The name of a Wit is little better than a Slander, since it is generally given by those that have none, to those that have little.

This observation serves as a cynical corrective to the era's obsession with the label of "wit" as a social status.

There’s somewhat that borders upon Madness in every exalted Wit.

This aphorism reflects the era's fascination with the volatile, fragile nature of true creative genius.

A man thro' natural Defects may do abundance of incoherent foolish Actions, yet deserves compassion and Advice rather than derision.

This compassionate note highlights the rare moments where the author distinguishes between genuine human struggle and the studied performance of the "fop."

What It's Really About

Underneath the descriptions of coffee-house politics and literary squabbles, the book is a meditation on the nature of intellectual integrity. It questions whether true wisdom can ever be "popular" or if the public's appetite for entertainment inevitably degrades the quality of thought. It grapples with the tension between the "moderns"—who favor a fluid, accessible, and sometimes irregular style—and the "ancients," whose strict rules and structures provide a standard that the author finds difficult to abandon. Ultimately, the book is an inquiry into the cost of reputation: it argues that the pursuit of external acclaim, especially in the volatile theater of London life, is a path that leads away from the very "good sense" and "virtue" it claims to champion.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the sharp, observational style of eighteenth-century prose will find much to admire here. It is an honest piece of work that does not shy away from the contradictions of its time; the author is simultaneously a fan of the new, popular essayists and a critic of the very "town" that sustains them. The prose is precise, elegant, and often quite funny in its cold dissection of human vanity.

However, a modern reader must be prepared for the book's period-specific focus. The references to specific, long-forgotten pamphlets and minor literary figures of 1711 can be dense and occasionally require a bit of patience to navigate. Furthermore, the attitudes toward gender and class are firmly rooted in the 1700s, reflecting a world of "tea-tables" and "merchants on the Change" that feels distant from our own. Yet, the core of the book—the anatomy of the "pretender"—is timeless. Anyone who has ever felt the sting of a performative, status-obsessed culture will recognize the "fop-poet" or the "critic" who prefers to tear down others rather than create something of their own. It is a rewarding read for those interested in the history of the media, the mechanics of intellectual influence, and the enduring human struggle to remain sincere in a world of artifice.