Black Beauty: The Making of a Classic

Author Victoria Manthorpe gives a morning talk on Anna Sewell's Black Beauty, its adult origins and the philanthropy behind its success.

The Norwich Society hosts a talk by author and feature writer Victoria Manthorpe examining Black Beauty. Though now seen as a children's book, Anna Sewell wrote it for an adult market to highlight the suffering of working horses, and it doubles as a veiled autobiography of her relationship with her mother Mary Sewell, both published by Jarrolds. The talk also explores the century of philanthropy uniting non-conformists and evangelicals to improve conditions for humans and animals, and recent critical scrutiny of the book. The event runs 90 minutes.