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Loading... Black Beauty (original 1877; edition 2009)by Anna Sewell (Author)
Work InformationBlack Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse by Anna Sewell (1877)
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Read by Simon Vance, Black Beauty describes his life in Victorian London, and that of his fellow horses. As he takes us through his life, he explains how man in his ignorance, pride, or drunkenness can make a horse's life as dismal as it would be under the care of an intentionally cruel master, and in contrast, how much better for the horse's health and spirit is a gentle hand and understanding heart. ( ) Black Beauty is a well told, heart-wrenching story. No wonder it’s a classic. I think it was read to me as a child, so I knew I would shed tears. At times it’s almost too heart-wrenching to read. Yes, it’s very Victorian in its concerns (but not sententious) and utterly anthropomorphic in the telling, but it works as well as it did in 1877. If it was just a didactic piece condemning the bearing rein, it would probably have faded into oblivion. It is about our approach to the world in the face of economic pressure and the importance of calling out what is wrong when we see it. This is a great story that cleverly enfolds other stories (Ginger’s story and the Old Captain’s story) with profound consequences as to how animals (all creatures) are perceived by humans. Somewhere I kept a newspaper clipping about how the men of the Australian Light Horse were ordered to shoot their horses after WW1 ended because the army could not afford to bring them back from the theatres of war in Europe and the Middle East. Most of the cavalry men found this harder and more tragic than anything they’d encountered in the fighting. Black Beauty is a handsome, sweet-tempered colt with a strong spirit. As a young colt he is free to gallop in the fresh green meadows with his beloved mother, Duchess, and their kind master. But when his owners are forced to sell him, Black Beauty goes from a life of comfort and kindness to one of hard labor and cruelty. Bravely he works as hard as he can, suffering at the hands of men who treat animals badly. But Black Beauty has an unbreakable spirit and will, and is determined to survive. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesCorticelli [Mursia] (154) Dean's Classics (8) — 15 more Is contained inIs retold inHas the adaptationIs abridged inInspiredHas as a commentary on the textHas as a student's study guideAwardsNotable Lists
A horse in nineteenth-century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.8Literature English English fiction Victorian period 1837-1900LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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