Richard Steele has written Of the Club, a 17th & 18th Century Non Fictional essay, where he has highlights the people of multiple professions of his time. So, in this content, we are going to discusses Of the Club summary. Let’s enjoy the content.
Writer’s Intro:
Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) was an Anglo-Irish author, playwright, and politician. He is best known for starting the magazine The Spectator with his friend Joseph Addison. He wrote ‘Of the Club Summary ‘ where he discusses six different club members and their roles in the society. So, in the following content, we are going to discuss of the club summary.
Of the Club Summary
The first part of ‘Of the Club’ Summary
The Spectator’s Club is perhaps Richard Steele’s finest achievement. This essay was published in The Spectator. In this essay, Steele has given an account of the members of the Club. These members represent important sections of society. Steele describes six of the members of the Club they are Sir Roger de Coverley, The Templar, Captain Sentry, Sir Andrew Freeport, Will Honeycomb, and the Clergyman.
Sir Roger de Coverley is the first member of The Spectator’s Club. He is a gentleman of fifty-six years old. He is a baronet. Roger is still single because he was rejected by a widow whom he loved and planned to marry. Though he is a gentleman, he is very singular in his behavior towards others. He is a great lover of mankind. Because of his generosity, his tenants grow rich. All the young men are glad for his company. He is the representative of the small landed gentry of the countryside.
The Templar, the second member of The Spectator’s Club, is the representative of the legal profession, art and learning. He is not interested in the study of law but his father wants to see him a barrister. Instead of law, he is interested in literature. He loves to acquire modern knowledge. He lives in the Inner Temple to study the laws of the land. His father sends him by post various kinds of legal questions. He himself is unable to answer the questions. So, he answers the questions through a hired attorney in exchange for a lump sum of money.
The second part of ‘Of the Club’ Summary
Sir Andrew Freeport is the third member of The Spectator’s Club. He is a merchant of great reputation in the city of London. He is a person of untiring industry, strong reason, and great experience. Freeport has noble and generous notions of trade. He has become rich by means of hard work. He wants that there should be no tax on exports and imports for the sake of promoting trade. Here lies the significance of his name. So, Freeport wants to keep the ports tax-free. He believes:
‘’A penny saved is a penny got.”
Captain Sentry is the fourth member of The Spectator’s Club. He is the representative of the army. As a military man, he has bravely taken part in many battles in his life. But he does not get the desired promotion. Yet, he never blames others. So, he resigns from the post because he does not consider himself fit for it.
Will Honeycomb is the fifth member of the club. He is the representative of the class of gallants. He is a man about town. is a sort of lady killer who knows how to entertain and pleases the ladies. Honeycomb can narrate the love affairs of the old English Lords and ladies in detail. Thus, he wins the favor of the ladies.
The final part of the summary
A clergyman sometimes visits the club. Steele is doubtful whether to include the man as the sixth member of the club or not. He is a philosophical and learned person. Hence, he does not speak on religious subjects in the club unless someone starts first. Steele has little interest in the world and its affairs. In fact, he just wants to overcome his worldly infirmities in order to make himself ready for the next world.
That’s the end of our content of the club summary. We hope you have enjoyed it. Anyway, if you want to read more content from Richard Steele and Joseph Addison, you can read the following articles:
– Sir Roger at Church Summary
– Spectator’s Account on Himself
– Death of Sir Roger
– His Account of His Disappointment in Love
