Black Beauty Facts Which Will Make You Fall In Love With It

'Black Beauty,' the novel by Anna Sewell, is one of the best-selling novels of all time.

'Black Beauty' was published in 1877, and since its inception, the book has always been a success story in terms of reception from the crowd. However, five months later, the successful author died of illness after the novel appeared on the market.

'Black Beauty' is written in the form of an animal autobiography. However, it is not the first novel to do that.

'Black Beauty' manages to let the readers go in and out of the consciousness of the horse, which makes the book interesting and lets the divide between human and animal subside.

The book has been a raging success, and 'Black Beauty' has sold over 50 million copies to date, making it one of the biggest-selling books in the history of the English language.

Anna Sewell just wrote one book as she was confined to her family home most of her time and later died in 1878. Animal-narrated stories were rare in the past, and it is possible that Anna Sewell's story influenced stories later in life, like Rudyard Kipling's 'The Maltese Cat' published in 1895.

This book talks to the masses in the form of ponies.

The mother of Anna Sewell, Mary Sewell was also an author and successful in her life. She authored several juvenile bestsellers and wrote children's fiction.

She was also a successful poet. 'Mother's Last Words' was among her best-selling books, and it sold around a million copies.

Anna was different than her mother and did not want her book to be just a children's book. She wanted to share the plight of animals in the story and how the animals were treated in Victorian England.

The story of the horse seems perfect for a movie adaptation by Disney, but interestingly the company never pursued the story of 'Black Beauty.'

Disney released an audio adaptation of the horse story in 1966. However, films and TV shows have been made on 'Black Beauty.'

'Black Beauty: The Autobiography Of A Horse' is the first major story ever in children's literature. The author focused on sympathy, kindness, and animal welfare in the story. The book was published in 1877. Anna Sewell died five months after 'Black Beauty' was published, but she was fortunate enough to see how successful the book had grown to be.

Read more facts on 'Black Beauty 'in the coming topics and delve into the horse's life in England.

Characters Of Black Beauty

There are many notable characters in the book for children. Let's get to know the main horse and how it influences the horses and us together.

The main character, Black Beauty, is known by many different names like Black Auster, Darkie, Old Crony, Jack, Blackie, and more. He is the narrator of the story and is a magnificent black horse.

The horse started his work as a carriage horse for privileged people, but he soon broke his knees after a bad fall. The horse loses the job as he is not considered presentable now with broken knees. He is then put to much more challenging work and jumps from owner to owner.

Some of the owners are kind, while the others are cruel. But, the horse never lost faith and always served the humans to the best of his capabilities.

Duchess, also known as Pet, is the mother of Black Beauty and Rob Roy. She is the one who teaches the horse to be good to everyone since he was just a little pony.

Rob Roy is another black horse from the same farm Black Beauty grew up in.

He is later found to be a half-brother of Beauty and an older son of Duchess, but not until he is killed in a hunting incident (Squire Gordon's only son also died while riding the horse). Lizzie is a nervous mare that Lady Anne rides one day, and Beauty has to come to save them when Lizzie is spooked.

Ginger is Beauty's companion at Birtwick Park and is colored chestnut. Ginger went through a traumatic upbringing and is a more aggressive horse in the story.

Merrylegs is a short gray pony, polite to both horses and humans. At Birtwick Park, the young daughters ride Merrylegs, and he is later sent to stay with a vicar. Sir Oliver is an older horse who has a discomforting docked tail.

Rory used to be paired in work with Beauty, among other horses. After being hit by a cart, Rory was injured and then worked as a coal carting horse.

Peggy is a hired horse with short legs, which allows the horse to run very fast. The Captain is a former army horse, while Hotspur is a five-year-old horse replacing Captain. Justice is a calm and peaceful horse that meets Beauty at Birtwick Park.

Here is the list of Beauty's owners: Farmer Grey, Mr. Douglas Gordon, Mr. John Manly, Mr. James Howard, Mr. Joseph Greene, Bill, Mrs. Bushby, Earl of W, Lady W, Mr. York, Reuben Smith, Master of the livery stables, Mr. Barry, Mr. Jeremiah, Mrs. Polly Barker, Mr. Harry Barker, Miss Dorothy Barker, Mr. Grant, Corn dealer/baker Steven, Foreman, Mr. Jakes, Mr. Nicholas Skinner, Willie, Farmer Thoroughgood, The three ladies, and Joseph (Joe) Green.

Earl of W bought Ginger and Beauty from Squire Gordon (whose son was killed along with Rob Roy) and stayed with the horse in Earlshall Park.

Reviews Of Black Beauty

This book for children has always shared the plight of animals during Victorian times and is an excellent read for people to understand what animals went through.

Full of meaningful lessons and details about the everyday lives of horses have made this book a must-read for all enthusiasts of horses and animals as a whole.

This book is a classic one for animal welfare lovers and is written as an autobiography of a horse who has been sold to different owners throughout the course of his life.

The experiences of Beauty tell us, readers, the story of how horses should be cared for and what happens if the horses are hurt. When the book was released, it was really influential and was crucial in kicking off the animal-rights movement and started banning ill practices.

It is a must-read, so don't miss it if you haven't read it already.

'Black Beauty' sold over 50 million copies worldwide, with the book being translated into over 50 languages. It is easily one of the best-selling books of all time. Other books that have managed to sell over 50 million copies are legendary series like - 'The Catcher in the Rye,' all the Harry Potter books, and 'Charlotte's Web.'

Message/Moral

'Black Beauty' will ignite in you to work for the welfare of horses and all other animals in the world.

Knowing how Beauty lived his life emphasizes the values needed to treat all animals kindly. As a reader, you will see both evil and good, and Anna tries to make people treat both animals and humans alike by good virtue and behavior.

Black Beauty's Author

Anna Sewell was an English novelist known for her only published work, 'Black Beauty.'

The 1877 novel is considered one of the top 10 biggest-selling children's books, even though Anna wanted the readers to be of adult ages. Anna did not live long, and only after five months of the book's launch she died of illness. However, she was fortunate to see the success her book got.

FAQs

Q: What does 'Black Beauty' symbolize?

A: It symbolizes animal cruelty and the need for their care.

Q: What does Black Beauty look like?

A: Black Beauty is a handsome black horse with a white star on the forehead and one white foot.

Q: What is 'Black Beauty' famous for?

A: This is the first significant animal story in a children's book and is written as an animal autobiography.

Q: Is Black Beauty male or female?

A: It is a male horse.

Q: How did Black Beauty feel when his harness was taken off?

A: After the harness was taken off, Beauty did not know what to do first - eat the grass, roll on the back, rest by lying down, or gallop around because of freedom. So he did all of them in turns.

Q: Does Black Beauty speak?

A: In his life, he cannot speak to humans. The horses can, however, speak to each other.

Q: Is Black Beauty historical fiction?

A: This book can be considered historical fiction and is written from the perspective of a black horse.