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Abstract: This article examines the essay of an early English Enlightenment writer Joseph Addison The Vision of Justice (The Tatler, 1709, No. 100 and 102), which, like many of his works, reflects an engagement with the medieval visionary tradition. The study focuses on analyzing The Vision of Justice in relation to this genre, a perspective that has not previously been addressed in Russian literary studies. A historico-literary review has made it possible to outline the approaches of both Russian and English-speaking literary scholars to the study of Addison’s “allegorical” essays. The review has also identified unresolved questions concerning the author’s artistic vision and his reasons for incorporating elements of the visionary tradition. The relevance of analyzing The Vision of Justice from this genre perspective lies in the need to deepen the understanding of the distinctive features of Addison’s essayistic style and to assess the role of the visionary canon in Enlightenment literature. The study analyzes the headline complex and identifies the reasons behind the author’s interest in the themes of justice and the forthcoming “golden age,” introduced through the epigraph – the lines from Virgil’s Fourth Eclogue. In keeping with the spirit of the era, the author aligns himself with an esteemed poetic tradition while imparting contemporary relevance to the essay. The article also examines the figure of the narrator and visionary, Isaac Bickerstaff, whose reflections, experiences, and commentaries serve to articulate the author’s perspective. Then it goes on to explore the plot and compositional structure of the essay, identifying traditional motifs characteristic of medieval visions but creatively adapted by the author to model a transformed earthly realm. The analysis of society types and their morals reveals a convergence of moral judgments about humanity in both Enlightenment and medieval “visionary” narratives. Similarly, Addison’s narrative portrays the earthly world as encompassing a tribunal that administers justice. The commentary on the scenes of the restoration of justice in the world of men and women and the final reference to the lines from the eighth canto of Milton’s poem “Paradise Lost” allows formulating an idea of the author’s ideal of virtuous and reasonable humanity, which will relive the “golden age” again. The study concludes that the tradition of the genre of vision enables Addison to highlight the flaws of existence with irony while employing a utopian approach to the idea of humanity’s moral renewal. The author’s pathos and the themes of The Vision of Justice reflect the evolution of the genre of vision, which, during the Enlightenment, became a framework for addressing moral and ethical issues.

About the author(s) :

Liudmila Yu. Makarova

Ural State Pedagogical University (Ekaterinburg, Russia)

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3962-4262

Publication Timeline:

Date of receipt: 23.12.2024; date of publication: 28.03.2025

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