Abstract

abstract:

While the ascendancy of the British periodical The Spectator (1711) on the Spanish El Pensador (1762) has been hinted at before, this essay offers a closer look at the first issues of Joseph Addison's and José Clavijo y Fajardo's papers. Conspicuous parallelisms are revealed, such as the sketchy journalistic self-portrait of the author editor, intended to "gratify the curiosity" of the reader. Both editors seek to entertain their audiences and set themselves up as moral guides. The similarities testify that fifty years later, Clavijo sought to emulate the success of The Spectator (which he most certainly accessed through Miravaux's French translation, Le Spectateur Français, 1722–1723) by wittingly blending Addison's Thoughts with his own Pensamientos. The main difference and mayor asset of Clavijo consists in cleverly adapting it to the circumstances of his country and times. However, the question remains up to which point this can be considered in line with general eighteenth century practice of—transnational—emulation before the consolidation of author's copyright, or whether it verges on plagiarism, especially since no credit is given to Addison.

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