Question: Reconstruct the image of Sir Roger based on The Coverley Papers.

Answer: Prof. Courthop observes, “The figure of Sir Roger, though it belongs to a boy gone stage of society, is as durable as human nature itself.” according to Cazamian, Sir Roger de Coverley is “a personage living enough to have taken his place amongst the best knows creation in literature”. Another critic has said that the character of Sir Roger de Coverley is the genial dictator of life and manners in the quiet English country”. The first sketch of Sir Roger’s character was drawn by Steele in the second number of the ‘Spectator’ entitled ‘of the club’. There he describes him as a baronet of ancient descent and a gentleman that is very singular in his behaviour but his singularities proceed from his good sense. What Steele sketches in the outline speaks for his original creative power. But it goes to Addison’s credit for having taken up this rough sketch and develops it into a vivid and life-like portrayal. In this respect, Macaulay says, “Addison took the crude outlines into his own hands, retouched, coloured them and is in truth the creator of Sir Roger de Coverley with whom we are all familiar.” Now we shall explore the spectator Papers to throw light on our topic.

Sir Roger is a man of very singular behaviour as we have been told by Steele who conceived of the character. Addison continues to give emphasis on this ‘singularity.’ We are told that Sir Roger is a humorist, whose very virtues are tinged by a certain extravagance, just as his imperfections are. But Sir Roger is not made to appear as a mere humorist or just a representation of a particular trait. If that had been the case, he would become a flat character, a mere social type. But Addison has been able to import a life-like rounded quality to the character.

The most outstanding qualities of Sir Roger’s character are his essential goodness, philanthropy and simple and rural manners. He is cordial and friendly to his servants and calls them by their names. His servants look satisfied; they are devoted to their master and are very eager to serve him. Sir Roger also takes care of his servants and makes frequent enquiries regarding their personal affairs and problems. Sir Roger’s manner of rewarding his servants is unique. His great generosity of heart forbids him to give small and trifling gifts (like his cast clothes) to his servants. A good servant to him is sure of having it in his choice very soon of being no servant at all.

When a tenement falls vacant, Sir Roger gives that settlement to a good servant, and this enables him to live independently in the world.

Sir Roger has a great love for religion. He wants the spiritual welfare of mankind, when he succeeded to his estate he found his parishioners careless in matters of religion and very irregular in attendance at the church. He, therefore, beautified the inside of his church with several texts of his own choosing. He likewise gave a handsome pulpit clot and railed in the communion table at his own. expense. In order that his parishioners may kneel and join in the responses he gave every one of them a hassock and a common prayer book; and at sometimes employed an itinerant singing master, who went about the country to instruct the inhabitants rightly in the tunes of the psalms. His behaviour at the church is whimsical and shows his general eccentricity of nature. Sometimes he lengthens out a verse in the singing psalms, pronounces ‘Amen’ three or four times to the same prayer or stands up, when everybody else is kneeling, to see who is absent on that day. All this he does to improve the spiritual standards of his tenants.

In Politics, Sir Roger is a Tory. His political faith is based on feeling rather than on reason. But his Tory feelings do not lead him to any bitterness of heart. He only avoids places where Whigs assemble. His political faith has been harmoniously described in the essay ‘Mischiefs of Party Spirit’.

Sir Roger has been described as a humorist, an eccentric whose virtues well as imperfections are tinged by a certain extravagance. But Steele and Addison have given the emphasis on the singularity in his behaviour. He has been described as a man possessing all Kinds of whims and prejudices. But care is taken to see that Sir Roger’s eccentricities do not evoke any kind of contempt. His innate goodness and love for mankind are vividly described. Some critics are of the opinion that Sir Roger is a caricature of the typical, simple-minded Tory Squire of those days. But it is not a correct estimate of his character. A caricature is a grotesque or distorted representation of a person intended to excite only laughter and merriment. Such a character does not excite respect or sympathy. Sir Roger is not a flat character. It is true that he possesses many of the weaknesses of his class. He carries his political part ship too far and avoids entering the Whig inn. He claims to have a great Knowledge of the Game Act and takes his position as a justice of the peace too seriously. But even then he cannot be called a mere caricature. His whims and prejudices, no doubt invite a certain amount of ridicule, but it is clearly mentioned that they are born out of his innate goodness, that they are “contradictions to the manners of the world, only as he thinks the world is in wrong”. He has his own ways and manners and is against the cold convention and insincere ettiqtthe of society. He is a length portrait; he is not merely described but also presented dramatically. He may have his weaknesses and imperfections, yet he succeeds in winning love and respect. Hugh walker aptly says.” He never becomes so absurd as to lose our respect.” So, it is unjust to call him a caricature.

It is hardly to be doubted that Sir Roger’s portrait is largely satiric. But it may also be true that while outwardly laughing at Sir Roger, Addison is in reality laughing at those who at their foppery, snobbery and hypocrisy laugh at the simple, rustic yet honest and benevolent character of Sir Roger. Thus, while making fun of the characteristics of Sir Roger, Addison is actually ridiculing the false convention and manners, and the artificial life of his age. Sir Roger’s eccentricities and oddities are a part of his character and we cannot help laughing at them. He is also quite often the target of Addison’s ironical humour and satire. However, we love him with all his oddities and caprices and eccentricities and do not want him to be other than what he is.

In light of the above des cession we find that Sir Roger is unquestionably one of the treasures of English literature. “In nothing else has Addison shown such originality in nothing else as such exquisite skill.” The elimination of Sir Roger from the spectator essays would be like the elimination of the Prince of Denmark from the play ‘Hamlet’. Legouis says, “the creation of Sir Roger is Addison’s masterpiece.” The man is not an excellent figure of comedy with his eccentricities, his peculiar expressions, his attitudes, and his mental leaps, but he is foremost among those characters who are not only loved but respected even while they are laughed at.