A Weekly Review of the Affairs of France
A Weekly Review of the Affairs of France was the original title of the Review, a periodical written and edited largely by Daniel Defoe between 1704 and 1713. Also known as A Review of the Affairs of France, it combined discussion of public events with Defoe’s political, economic and social opinions.[1][2]
Subjects and publication
The journal began with the affairs of France, a principal international rival of England. Its interests broadened to other matters, including the union of England and Scotland. It eventually appeared three times a week. The Review was a vehicle for argument and commentary as well as news.[1][2]
Readers and the Scandalous Club
Alongside its political discussion, Defoe used a fictional “Scandalous Club” to comment on conduct and answer readers’ questions. The club was a literary device through which he spoke, rather than a separate panel of advisers. This material also appeared in supplements; the short-lived Little Review followed in 1705.[1]
In her study of early periodicals, Margaret J. M. Ezell examines how these features invited readers to participate while increasingly placing Defoe’s own editorial voice at the centre. The journal is therefore studied both for its political commentary and for the relationship it developed between a writer and his readers.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Margaret J. M. Ezell, Early English Periodicals and Early Modern Social Media (Cambridge University Press, 2024), section 3.2, “Daniel Defoe and the Review”. Accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lehigh University Libraries, “Defoe’s Review”, Exploring a Novel World: 300 Years of Robinson Crusoe. Accessed 10 October 2026.