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Classic LiteratureSharon's Corner Bookstore serves to honor the horse in Classic Literature and the literary horseman of today. The horse has sparked man's artistic inspiration [for] longer than recorded history, providing humanity with a colorful legacy of its faithful partner preserved in cave paintings, carvings, mosaics, sculpture, painting ... and a rich body of equestrian literature. We acknowledge the spirit of inspiration the horse provides through the promotion of new writing by independent authors, even as we enjoy classic literature of the past and the wider world of equestrian books. ***************************************************************** Black Beauty by Anna Sewell ***************************************************************** The Good Master by Kate Seredy ***************************************************************** My Friend Flicka; Thunderhead, Son of Flicka; Green Grass of Wyoming by Mary O'Hara ***************************************************************** The Red Pony by John Steinbeck ***************************************************************** Smokey the Cowhorse
by Will James ***************************************************************** The Black Stallion and the Island Stallion books by Walter Farley ***************************************************************** King of th Wind, Black Gold, Misty of Chincoteague, Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Gaudenzia Pride if the Palio by Marguerite Henry
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A review of "Black Beauty" seems somewhat redundant, not only for its countless reviews over the past 130-odd years, but because the book has become as much a cliché as a classic. And classic it is: "Black Beauty" was a literary phenomenon that broke publishing records in its time and is held to be the sixth bestseller in the English language. The story did much to create and promote humane issues, and had an active role in ending some of the cruelest practices of the times. However, though it is hard to imagine anything about "Black Beauty" that has not been said, our modern public has not necessarily heard those things. Indeed, many things people "know" about "Black Beauty" are wrong. In the first place, "Black Beauty" is not and was not intended to be a children's novel. In the years since its publication in 1877, the title has often been dismissed as a quaint children's tale, but it was nothing of the sort at the time of its publication: in fact it was a revolutionary work that helped spark the issue of humane treatment of animals. The author, Anna Sewell, wrote "Black Beauty" to "induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses." Though the story has become one of the world's most famous stories for children, the book's intended audience was trainers, grooms, breeders and others who worked with horses. It was the only book Ms. Sewell was to write; she wrote it in ill health and barely lived long enough to see the book's early success. The story is told by the title character, a well-bred horse living in 18th century England. It is told in first-person (first-horse?) in clean, clear language throughout, and serves as a fine example of Victorian literature. The book begins with Black Beauty's recollections of the farm where he was born, and continues with the telling of his life's fortunes both good and bad. The exciting, moving and sometimes heartbreaking adventures are overlaid with a strong moral tone and even temper, in which each chapter presents a gentle lesson. The groundbreaking achievement of the author was in portraying horses as living creatures that experienced emotion. While the character of "Black Beauty" is not particularly faithful to a realistic equine outlook—a fact that has been widely criticized—the success of the book depends upon speaking from a human perspective to reach its audience. The impact of the book in raising concern for animal welfare issues is hard to overstate: several of the cruel practices told in the story were ended as a result of public pressure, such as the neck-distorting "checkrein" and the docking of tails. In a sense, the work of this novel is largely finished: humane issues have been made public and cruelty to horses has been replaced by a more empathetic view. Today "Black Beauty" is sold largely in abridged adaptations for young audiences, to comply with the "conventional wisdom" that the story is a children's tale. Even if the original text was intended for adults, that text is too challenging for modern "grown-up" tastes—it is hard to argue that the warmth and morality of this work is not better suited for children than the adults our corporate-focused society seems to produce. "Black Beauty" remains a beloved classic that teaches and touches audiences worldwide, and a historical must-read for animal-lovers of all ages.
John Royce reviews classic literature and writes historical fantasy books.
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