The movement towards realism in the English novel of the nineteenth century reached its acme with the works of Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thakeray. Charles Dicken was a prolific writer. Among his copious works are Oliver Twist, a candid exposure of the poor laws; Nicholas Nicklebery, in which the life of boys in a boarding school is vehemently attacked; Hard Times, in which the author wanted to depict the infamous life in a factory during an early period of the industrial revolution; The Pickwick Paper, about a naïve gentleman who has numerous misadventures. The novels, aimed at exposing the sordid and pernicious elements of English life, were said to have helped galvanize people into action leading to improvement in these conditions.
- acme – puncak, the point at which someone or something is best, perfect, or most successful.
- prolific – subur, produktif
- copious – banyak sekali, berlimpah
- candid – jujur, terus terang, truthful and straightforward; frank.
- vehement – showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense.
- naive – bersahaja, tidak dibuat-buat
- sordid – kotor, keji, involving ignoble actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt.
- pernicious – merusak, having a harmful effect, esp. in a gradual or subtle way.
- galvanize – menggembleng, membangkitkan