The Evolution of Victorian Thought: An Analysis of Non-human Animals in Victorian Literature

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

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Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/1544bq967

Abstract

This analysis of animal characters within Victorian literature brings a new perspective to the forces that changed societal thought regarding non-human animals in 1870s England. In this transformative decade that is best characterized by a combination of Darwinian influence, religious distancing, and unprecedented literacy rates, Anna Sewell and Thomas Hardy wrote novels that actively negotiated with their audiences for the improved treatment of non-human animals. Both authors accomplish this through portrayals of both human-like animals and animal-like humans. By portraying a sameness across species, Sewell and Hardy engaged with their progressive Victorian audience to help dissolve the boundaries between humans and animals, thereby evoking a newfound sympathy for the non-humans of the 1870s. These compelling assertions of similarity between humans and animals earn Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty and Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd their places as both cultural artifacts of Victorian England and catalysts in the early animal rights discussion. In this way, both Sewell and Hardy had a lasting influence in improving the lives of animals in England and elsewhere.

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