Charles Dickens, The Battle of Life

Christian Gallichio (Emory University)

Ed. by Grace Moore, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1846

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novella

Resources

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Conceived, written, and published in 1846, Charles Dickens’s fourth Christmas story

The Battle of Life

is one of the author’s five “Christmas Books”, the most famous of which is

A Christmas Carol

(1843). While Dickens was fond of weaving supernatural elements into his festive stories,

The Battle of Life

eschews a mystical plot and instead – as its subtitle,

A Love Story

, suggests, follows the romantic entanglements of two sisters, Grace and Marion. The story also features the girls’ father, Dr Jeddler, who finds it difficult to take the world seriously. Often considered Dickens’s least successful Christmas novella,

The Battle of Life

has received little critical consideration. Despite a tepid critical and commercial response, the novella nevertheless contains many of…

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1813 words

Citation: Gallichio, Christian. "The Battle of Life". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 August 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=24933, accessed 21 November 2024.]

Charles Dickens, The Battle of Life

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