<p>In 'The Battle of Life: A Love Story', Charles Dickens transposes the strife of human existence to a pastoral English village, a settlement struggling with the memory of a past conflict. This novel stands out in Dickens' body of work with a lighter tone and emphasis on romantic rather than sociopolitical themes, yet it resonates with Dickensian characterization and his quintessential descriptive flourish. As an allegorical tale that transcends...