‘The Pleasures of the Imagination'

This chapter explores Addison's theories of taste and association as expressed in his Spectator essays, in particular 'The Pleasures of the Imagination' and their influence on Walpole, who was to extend and develop Addison's theories and put them into practice in his project at Strawberry Hill. Taste is at present the darling idol of the polite world and the world of letters. The fine ladies and gentlemen dress with taste, the architects whether Gothic or Chinese build with taste, the painters paint with taste, critics read with taste, and in short, fiddlers, players, singers, dancers and mechanics themselves are all the sons and daughters of taste. The eighteenth century heralded a cultural change which was to redefine social hierarchies and alter the appearance of exterior and interior architectural features, gardens and landscapes; even the dress codes of society were affected.