Black Beauty Analysis

Literary Devices in Black Beauty

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

Setting

What comes to mind when you think of Victorian England? It's an incredibly rich, evocative time period that serves as the setting for a lot of famous stories. You might think of Charles Dickens, or...

Narrator Point of View

Anna Sewell's choice to make Black Beauty the central narrator of her story, and in fact to tell a horse's life story at all, is what made Black Beauty so groundbreaking at the time of its release....

Genre

This book, the only one Anna Sewell ever wrote, is a little bit tough to categorize. It spans a few different categories, and it arguably even has a tinge of fantasy to it since horses obviously ca...

Tone

Have you ever gotten a lecture from a parent that's hidden inside some kind of story? You know, about the daughter of their friend who forgot to study for a test, and then failed the class? It's ea...

Writing Style

Pull up a chair, grab a blanket, and maybe even put on your pajamas, because Black Beauty's going to tell you a story. Anna Sewell's writing style makes Beauty's narration sound like a beloved rela...

What's Up With the Title?

So at first glance, Black Beauty seems to be a title that goes straight for the obvious choice. But one thing to remember? The horse we know as Black Beauty has many different names in this book. I...

What's Up With the Ending?

On the surface, it seems like Black Beauty wraps up with the happiest of endings. After a traumatic downfall and coming close to death from overwork, Beauty at last finds a home in a beautiful spot...

Tough-o-Meter

This book is simple and straightforward, with plenty of action and clear explanations; plus, the vivid first person perspective practically turns the pages for you. We almost gave this book an even...

Plot Analysis

A Horse, of CourseWe meet Black Beauty as a newborn foal at Farmer Grey's farm. He has a happy, secure childhood with his mom, Duchess, although he witnesses the mistreatment and even death of othe...

Trivia

In Victorian London, 300,000 working horses generated 1,000 tons of horse dung per day. Whoa… Holy manure, that's a lot of horse waste.(Source.)Anna Sewell practiced what she preaches in Black Be...

Steaminess Rating

This book is nearly as G-rated as it gets. There's absolutely no romance whatsoever, and if Beauty finds Ginger attractive, or if they ever sneak away to the far corner of the meadow together, we n...

Allusions

The only literary references in this book are to the Bible. However, none of these Bible references quote specific passages; instead, the story makes more general statements about the positive powe...