Project Gutenberg 2005-01-27 Public domain in the USA. 126 Gay, John 1685 1732 Boyer, Abel 1667 1729 Boyer, A. (Abel) Bond, Donald Frederic 1898 1987 Bond, Donald F. (Donald Frederic) Britton, W. Earl (Webster Earl) 1905 1995 Britton, Webster Earl a49004138 The present state of wit (1711), and excerpts from The English Theophrastus; or, The manners of the age (1702) Los Angeles : $b The Augustan Reprint Society, $c 1947 Augustan Reprint Society, publication number 07 Introduction by Bond -- The Present State of wit, in a letter to a Friend in the Country, by Gay (1711) -- Introduction by Britton -- Excerpts from the English Theophrastus: or, the manners of the Age. Being the modern characters of the court, the town, and the city, ascribed to Boyer (1702). Produced by David Starner, Linda Cantoni, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "The Present State of Wit" by John Gay is a critical work written in the early 18th century, specifically during the period known as the Augustan age of English literature. This book is a satirical essay that examines the state of wit and humor circulating in London, particularly among the periodicals prevalent in coffeehouses at the time. It reflects on the interactions and criticisms among writers, highlighting the cultural and social dynamics of wit in the society of Gay's era. In the book, Gay presents his observations in a letter format to a friend in the countryside, providing a vivid overview of contemporary periodicals such as the "Tatler," "Spectator," and "Examiner." He discusses the contributions of key figures like Richard Steele and Joseph Addison, praising their impact on public discourse and the cultivation of wit. Gay critiques various writers and their styles, offering insights into the nature of humor, criticism, and social satire. Overall, the work serves as both a historical commentary on the literary landscape of early 18th-century England and a reflection on the enduring qualities of social critique through wit. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 57.8 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Conduct of life English literature -- 18th century -- History and criticism Characters and characteristics PR Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: History - British Browsing: Literature Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: British Literature 122078 2025-06-22T00:47:59.159336 text/html 122052 121531 2024-11-06T14:35:43.397811 2023-09-07T04:55:34.881386 text/html text/html 149816 2025-06-22T00:48:15.957770 application/epub+zip 150009 2025-06-22T00:48:08.755316 application/epub+zip 100823 2025-06-22T00:48:03.526322 application/epub+zip 370904 2025-06-22T00:48:22.223764 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 351677 2025-06-22T00:48:15.146810 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 211520 2022-09-07T18:20:59.580104 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 103639 2025-06-22T00:47:58.740351 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 83311 2024-10-28T21:50:23 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 14441 2025-06-22T00:48:22.401756 application/rdf+xml 25258 2025-06-22T00:48:08.001325 image/jpeg 4776 2025-06-22T00:48:07.720289 image/jpeg 148740 2025-06-22T00:47:59.173360 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia fr.wikipedia en.wikipedia