Hard Times Novel review

Charles Dickens was a famous English novelist, considered one of the greatest English novelists of the Victorian era. His style was characterized by harsh criticism of social conditions, as well as a great ability to narrate and detailed depictions of events and characters, and he is the founder of the doctrine of critical realism. Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in 1812 AD to an extravagant father who fell into debt and was thrown into prison, and the condition of his family worsened after him. Which prompted the young Dickens to work from an early age as a wage worker sometimes and an employee in the offices of lawyers at other times, and then worked as a journalistic informant writing short excerpts for newspapers and magazines about current personalities and events, as well as working as a political debater in all parts of England. . In his childhood, Dickens was influenced by the writings of the pioneers of English novels. Such as "Henry Fielding", "Samuel Richardson" and "Daniel Defoe", so he learned from them the techniques of drawing the fictional character, and the ability to tighten the plot, as he read many other literary classics such as "The Thousand and One Nights" and these "manufactures", and the texts of these texts. Literary and intellectual imagination of the writer and his creativity, but his journalistic work increased - at the same time - his realism, and this combination enabled him to bring out to us a new type of literary narrative known as critical realism; Where he was accurate in describing reality, adept at portraying the imagination that transcends it and shows its impotence and the contradictions inherent in it. Thanks to these exceptional abilities, Dickens succeeded and made his way to fame since his childhood, which was evident in his first work, “Buckick’s Notes,” which he wrote at the age of twenty-four; This novel achieved great success among the general public and critics alike, and then followed his brilliant works after that, such as: "Oliver Twist" and "David Copperfield". This novelistic and literary genius made "Karl Marx" describe him as the English writer most capable of revealing the class inequality in his society; Where Dickens' novels aptly express the sharp social contradictions that existed in Victorian society, especially the struggle of the individual with the tyrannical and corrupt social and moral order. This great writer died in 1870 AD.

Hard Times novel review by Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens declared, "My satire is against those who see figures and averages, and nothing else," providing insight into the theme of his classic novel. Originally published in 1854, the narrative revolves around Thomas Gradgrind, a staunch advocate of demonstrable facts, who raises his children, Tom and Louisa, in an environment dominated by austere practicality.

Devoid of a moral compass, the children succumb to lives of desperation and hopelessness against the backdrop of Coketown, a dismal community overshadowed by industrial dominance. Louisa enters into a loveless union with the vulgar banker Josiah Bouderby, while Tom, lacking any ethical principles, turns to a life of crime, framing an innocent man. Witnessing the tragic decline of his children, Gradgrind realizes that his misguided principles have led to their ruin.

Considered Dickens' sternest critique of mid-19th-century industrial practices and their dehumanizing impact, the novel presents a captivating portrayal of Victorian life. It is characterized by rich detail, vibrant characterization, and a fervent social conscience, reflecting Dickens' finest literary creations. John Ruskin, a prominent Victorian critic, praised Dickens, stating, "He is entirely right in his main drift and purpose in every book he has written, and all of them, but especially Hard Times, should be studied with close and earnest care by persons interested in social questions."