Abstract: The topic of “taste” had always been the focus of The Spectator. In Addison's belief, man had the faculty of “taste”, which was both the “faculty of the mind” and the “faculty of the soul”. Based on his discussion on “polite writing,” his concept of “taste” aimed to symbolically implement the linguistic homogenization so as to enhance the cultural consensus between the traditional elite and the emerging commercial class. In his writings on Chinese gardens, however, his discussion of “taste” seems to have other deep implications. With a careful perusal of his views on “taste” in The Spectator, we may find that Addison advocated the power of reason and sought political alliance through cultural consensus on the one hand and, on the other, he discussed the perceptual beauty that favors irregularity and the freedom of imagination. Addison's opinions might seem self-contradictory, but they not only foreshadowed the forthcoming conceptual revolution of taste that differs from the mainstream classical aesthetic ideals in the 18^th century, but also reflected the complex mentality of the British middle class in their pursuit of cultural identity amidst the class integration. It can therefore be said that Addison's concept of “taste” represented the unique ideological landscape of the 18^th-century England, characterized by an equilibrium between universality and individuality, sense and sensibility.

Key words: taste, cultural consensus, Chinese gardens, Joseph Addison, The Spectator