ABSTRACT
During the Victorian era, British animal welfare societies promoted the humane treatment of animals through education and the cultivation of empathy. Many animal welfare societies, including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), advocated for the humane treatment of animals through the publication of education entertainment periodicals. Within these works, the societies routinely published animal-centric poetry. One of the popular periodicals of the period was the RSPCA’s monthly The Animal World . These humane poems served a dual purpose: one, the advocacy of middle-class values, and two, popularization of humane education for the population. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the themes and imagery of animal poetry published by the RSPCA and to discuss the historical influence of animal poetry on the wider animal welfare movement in Britain during the Victorian age.
