The Short Fiction in Peter Motteux’s «The Gentleman’s Journal» (1692-1694)

1.2.1 Contents and format

The Gentleman’s Journal has been variously praised as ‘the first English magazine’ (Bond 1957: 21), more specifically as ‘the first magazine of light literature in English’ (Foster 1917: 58), or merely as ‘the first English literary magazine’ (Sutherland 1969: 244), as well as ‘one of the most important serial publications of the [seventeenth] century’ (Graham 1926: 83). It has also been likened to twentieth-century magazines for its modernity in format and selection of materials (Foster 1917: 22 and 25; Graham 1926: 83; Ezell 1992: 323). First launched by Peter Anthony Motteux in January 1692 – and running until November 1694³ –, its full title was The Gentleman’s Journal: Or, The Monthly Miscellany. By Way of a Letter to a Gentleman in the Country. Consisting of News, History, Philosophy, Poetry, Musick, Translations, &c. As can be surmised from such a title, the topics and genres dealt with in the journal were quite varied, as its aim was to entertain, as the editor told the dedicatee of the very first issue: ‘My Journals aspire no higher, than to attend your Lordship when you enter into your Closet, to disengage your thoughts from the daily pressure of Business; or when you retire to that New Wonder of the Peak, your beautiful Seat’ (January 1692: A2r).

The contents were heralded in a list published on the reverse of the title page. The first issue for each year began with an Epistle Dedicatory addressed to a different patron each time. Volume One (1692) was dedicated to William Cavendish, Earl of Devonshire, who would be promoted to Duke in 1694. He led quite a profligate life but was also an amateur man of letters. The patron for the second volume (1693) was Charles Montagu, Earl of Halifax, a man well known for his administrative abilities and a poet himself. He was also the patron of some notable authors such as Joseph Addison, William Congreve, Isaac Newton, Matthew Prior, and George Stepney (Cunningham 1933: 15). The dedicatee for the final volume (1694) was Charles Talbot, twelfth Earl and only Duke of Shrewsbury, a man of great qualities, highly esteemed by his contemporaries. Second in these issues and first in all others came the epistolary form of address to the (imaginary) gentleman in the country to whom the journal was addressed. From there, the contents could be variously distributed on the journal’s pages.

Poetry, either originally written in English or in translation, occupied a prominent position in the journal, with a prevailing selection of classics and their imitations. Virgil, Martial, and especially Horace were favourite authors featured in the Gentleman’s Journal. These poems could be about love, daily issues and characters of the period, as well as praises of Their Majesties, Queen Mary and King William III. On the whole, verse contributions in the journal represented an overview of the poetry of the day. Inserting short fiction into all the issues became a distinctive feature of the Gentleman’s Journal and something we will delve into later in this introduction. The couple of enigmas included in each number seem to have been among the most sought-after features of the journal, fostering interaction with the audience. Readers sent their solutions, which were published in the following number, and had the reward of seeing their names in print.

Although news was supposed to be a relevant part of the journal, according to its title at least, references to current events became scarcer with each number until domestic or international news was no longer included. It seems that competition with the many newspapers published at the time rendered this aspect quite pointless (Graham 1926: 45). Instead, essays became a fixed element in the journal. The literary form of the essay was established as a genre in English in the late sixteenth century with Francis Bacon (1561–1626), who took Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) as a model, and it became quite popular during the Restoration with authors such as James Howell, Abraham Cowley, Owen Feltham and John Dryden (Foster 1917: 41; Cunningham 1933: 41). Catering to the popularity of this form, each issue included one or more essays ranging from amusing and everyday concerns to some serious issues. Sometimes these essays were presented as arguments among two or more contenders. The journal did not contain many instances of formal literary criticism, as later periodicals would do; nonetheless, some scattered comments on contemporary drama or other literary works can be found. It also included some literary announcements and brief book reviews. Founded in 1660, The Royal Society reflected the interest in science during the Restoration and the years that followed, and the Gentleman’s Journal was no stranger to this pursuit. Scientific articles also became a regular feature of the periodical, although some of them would nowadays be considered pseudo-scientific (Cunningham 1933: 49). They covered almost every field of science, with a preference for debates on physics.

Two or three songs, including both score and lyrics, would routinely close each issue. Quite often they had a gallant tone, with Purcell as one of the favourite composers contributing to the journal. There were also some songs of a more popular type, often composed by Motteux, thus reflecting different tastes in music. Although it might be expected that such a publication as the Gentleman’s Journal would include some booksellers’ notices, this only happened in the issue for February 1692 (28), in which three books were advertised. No illustrations can be found in the journal either, except when necessary to accompany the explanations of a couple of scientific articles.