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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.
To my dear and honoured Mother, whose life, no less than her pen, has been devoted to the welfare of others, this little book is affectionately dedicated.
First words
The first place that I can well remember, was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it.
Quotations
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....’ — Chapter 13, last paragraph.
… remember, we shall all have to be judged according to our works, whether they be toward man or toward beast. — Chapter 11 – Plain speaking
Last words
My troubles are all over, and I am at home; and often before I am quite awake, I fancy I am still in the orchard at Birtwick, standing with my old friends under the apple trees.
isbn 0140300643 associated with the novel, not the abridgement.
ISBN 0140366849 is a Puffin edition of Black Beauty.
Please do not combine this work with either books or film adaptations. If you have a copy of this work, please consider supplying the name of the author (in the case of a book) or director (if it is a film).
ISBN 0689842554 is an Aladdin Classics edtion of Black Beauty.
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Possible Children's Story From Horse's Perspective
Wikipedia in English (1)
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