Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour is a delightful comic satire of the fox-hunting fraternity of the mid 19th Century. Surtees takes great pleasure in creating comic personalities and dialogue and resembles the later Pickwick Papers of Dickens, whose style may well have been influenced by Surtees. The story follows the eponymous Soapy Sponge, a Victorian freeloader and confidence trickster, who manages to work his way around the gentrified houses of southern England, fox-hunting as he goes. - Summary by Kevin Green
PrefaceChapter 1 - Our HeroChapter 2 - Mr Benjamin BuckramChapter 3 - Peter LeatherChapter 4 - Laverick WellsChapter 5 - Mr. WafflesChapter 6 - Laverick WellsChapter 7 - Our Hero Arrives at Laverick WellsChapter 8 - Old Tom TowlerChapter 9 - The Meet, The Find and The FinishChapter 10 - The FeelerChapter 11 - The Deal, and the DisasterChapter 12 - An Old FriendChapter 13 - A New SchemeChapter 14 - Jawleyford CourtChapter 15 - The Jawleyford EstablishmentChapter 16 - The DinnerChapter 17 - The TeaChapter 18 - The Evening's ReflectionsChapter 19 - The Wet DayChapter 20 - The F.H.H.Chapter 21 - A Country Dinner PartyChapter 22 - The F.H.H. AgainChapter 23 - The Great RunChapter 24 - Lord Scamperdale at HomeChapter 25 - Mr Spraggon's Embassy to Jawleyford CourtChapter 26 - Mr and Mrs SpringwheatChapter 27 - The Finest Run that Ever was SeenChapter 28 - The Faithful GroomChapter 29 - The Cross-Roads at Dallington BurnChapter 30 - Bolting the BadgerChapter 31 - Mr Puffington; or The Young Man About TownChapter 32 - The Man of P-R-O-R-PERTYChapter 33 - A Swell HuntsmanChapter 34 - The Beaufort JusticeChapter 35 - Lord Scamperdale at Jawleyford CourtChapter 36 - Mr Bragg's Kennel ManagementChapter 37 - Mr Puffington's Domestic ArrangementsChapter 38 - A Day with Puffington's HoundsChapter 39 - Writing a RunChapter 40 - A Literary BloomerChapter 41 - A Dinner and a DealChapter 42 - The Morning's ReflectionsChapter 43 - Another Sick HostChapter 44 - Wanted - A Rich God-Papa!Chapter 45 - The Discomfited DiplomatistChapter 46 - Puddingpote Bower, The Seat of Jogglebury Crowdey Esq.Chapter 47 - A Family Breakfast on a Hunting MorningChapter 48 - Hunting the HoundsChapter 49 - Country QuartersChapter 50 - Sir Harry Scattercash's HoundsChapter 51 - Farmer Peastraw's Dine-MatineeChapter 52 - A Moonlight RideChapter 53 - Puddingpote BowerChapter 54 - Family JarsChapter 55 - The TriggerChapter 56 - Nonsuch House AgainChapter 57 - The DebateChapter 58 - Facey RomfordChapter 59 - The Adjourned DebateChapter 60 - Facey Romford at HomeChapter 61 - Nonsuch House AgainChapter 62 - A Family BreakfastChapter 63 - The Rising GenerationChapter 64 - The Kennel and the StudChapter 65 - The HuntChapter 66 - Mr Sponge at HomeChapter 67 - How they Got Up the 'Grand Aristocratic Steeple-Chase'Chapter 68 - How the 'Grand Aristocratic' Came OffChapter 69 - How Other Things Came OffChapter 70 - How Lord Scamperdale and Co. Came Off
Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour - Robert Smith Surtees - Description and brief content, listen free online on the e-library site at Knigi-Audio.com/en/
