Black Beauty/Tear Jerker

• The cruelties inflicted on Beauty in Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Not to mention Ginger's story. Thank goodness for the triumphant ending. WHY is this considered childrens' literature!? It isn't!
  • Well, there's the fact that it was written as an animal rights tract for adults...
  • Along those lines there's always Loveliness, written by Elizabeth Phelps about a hundred years ago. "It is an officer of the court! There is a search warrant for stolen property! Open in the name of the Law! Open this door in the name of the Commonwealth!" Oh god....
• The animals provide the majority of the tear jerkers, but the human characters get some in too. Jerry Barker, left waiting out in the cold for hours while already sick and doing his best to care for Beauty the whole time, provides a lot of pathos, especially in the 1994 film adaptation.