Writing Black Beauty

Anna Sewell and the Story of Animal Rights

Celia Brayfield

$49.99

Hardback

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English

The History Press Ltd
01 September 2023

Biography: literary; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Social & cultural history; Animals & society; Horses & ponies

This is the story of a remarkable woman who wrote a phenomenal book. Born in 1829 to a young Quaker couple, Anna Sewell grew up in poverty in London. She was fourteen when she fell and injured her ankle, which left her permanently disabled. Rejecting the life of a Victorian invalid, she developed an extraordinary empathy with horses, learning to ride side-saddle and to drive a small carriage. Rebellious and independent-minded, Anna suffered periods of severe depression as a young woman. She left the Quaker movement, but remained close friends with the women writers and abolitionists who had been empowered by its liberal principles. It was not until she became terminally ill, aged 51, that she found the courage to write her own book.

Tragically, she died just five months after the book was published in 1877. Black Beauty is now recognised as the first anthropomorphic novel, and it had an extraordinary emotional impact on readers of all ages. After modest success in Britain, it was taken up by a charismatic American, George Thorndike Angell, a campaigner against animal cruelty who made it one of the bestselling novels of all time. Using newly discovered archive material, Celia Brayfield shows Anna Sewell developing the extraordinary resilience to overcome her disability, rouse the conscience of Victorian Britain and make her mark upon the world.

AUTHOR: Dr Celia Brayfield is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. She is the author of nine novels and six non-fiction titles. 'Rebel Writers: The Accidental Feminists', a biographical study of the very young women writers of the 1960s, was published by Bloomsbury in 2019.

By: Celia Brayfield
Imprint: The History Press Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781803991641
ISBN 10: 180399164X
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 01 September 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Celia Brayfield PhD SFHEA is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. She is the author of nine novels and six non-fiction titles. Rebel Writers: The Accidental Feminists, a biographical study of the very young women writers of the 1960s, was published by Bloomsbury in 2019.

Reviews for Writing Black Beauty: Anna Sewell and the Story of Animal Rights

A welcome reassessment, a book written in gentle, engaging prose about a gentle, engaging heroine... Such an approach to unattended and unjustly treated aspects of the world is worthy of Anna Sewell herself. * The Times Literary Supplement *