in order to heighten the effect, Zola deliberately wrote the whole of 

  L'Assommoir 

 in the argot of the streets,sparing nothing of its coarseness and nothing of its force. For this alone he
was attacked by many critics, andfrom its publication onwards an unexampled controversy arose
regarding the author and his methods. Lookingbackwards it is difficult to see why such an outcry should
have arisen about such a masterpiece of literature,but water has flowed beneath many bridges since
1877, and, largely by the influence of Zola's own work, thelimits of convention have been widely
extended. At the time, however, the work was savagely attacked, and tothe author the basest motives
were assigned, while libels on his own personal character were freely circulated.Zola replied to these
attacks in a manner so calm and so convincing that quotation may be permitted.