作者: Robert Smith Surtees

Robert Smith Surtees (1805-1864) was an English editor, novelist, and sporting writer, known for his colorful depiction of English country life in the Victorian era. Surtees created vivid characters and scenes that were built upon his insightful observations and experiences. A keen sportsman himself, Surtees began his literary career contributing to “The Sporting Magazine” before co-founding the “New Sporting Magazine” in 1831, where he served as editor for many years. His first major work featuring the character Jorrocks, “Jorrocks”s Jaunts and Jollities, ” was published in 1838 to considerable acclaim. However, it was “Handley Cross” in 1843 that further established his reputation, introducing readers to the enduringly popular Mr. Jorrocks, a grocer-turned-sportsman whose adventures offer both amusement and critique of the sporting society. Surtees authored several novels which continually engaged with rural sports and English country life, one of which is “Ask Mamma”; or, The Richest Commoner in England (1858). This novel, along with “Mr. Sponge”s Sporting Tour” (1853) and “Hillingdon Hall” (1845), exemplifies Surtees”s skill in satirizing the foibles of country gentlemen and the hunting fraternity with wit and a keen eye for detail. His work stands as a testament to a particular aspect of Victorian culture, and though never reaching the popularity of Dickens, survives as an important literary account of nineteenth-century rural England.