In Georgian England, furniture served practical needs while displaying a household’s wealth and taste. Skilled cabinetmakers produced chairs, tables, and cabinets ranging from simple everyday pieces to elaborate works of craftsmanship. One influential maker, Thomas Chippendale, published The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director in 1754. Its 160 engraved plates offered furniture designs that other craftsmen could copy and adapt, helping fashionable styles spread beyond his London workshop.
A business founded toward the end of the Georgian period still welcomes London shoppers today. John Harris Heal established his bedding business at 33 Rathbone Place in 1810, during George III’s reign. It moved to Tottenham Court Road in 1818. After his death, his widow, Fanny Heal, continued the business and brought their son into partnership. Trading as Fanny Heal & Son, they moved to 196 Tottenham Court Road in 1840, the address where Heal’s still operates. Its surviving business dates from Georgian times, although the present building developed later.
There is also a connection to Charles Dickens: Heal’s advertisements appeared in serialized installments of his works between 1837 and 1865. Readers following his stories could encounter advertisements for a business that remains part of London life. Visitors to Heal’s today can browse furniture and homewares and see its celebrated spiral staircase, designed by Cecil Brewer and completed in 1916. The store brings together more than two centuries of changing ideas about how a home should look and feel.
Great literature should do more than entertain us. It should provide a roadmap to improving our lives.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens introduced readers to Sydney Carton, one of literature's most compelling and deeply flawed characters. Dickens also gives him an unusual title: the Jackal.
His struggles raise questions that remain relevant today.
Are we defined by our past mistakes? Can we overcome our weaknesses? What separates the people we are from the people we could become?
Lessons From the Jackal is a 25-day character study exploring these questions through Sydney Carton’s life, decisions, relationships, and personal development.
This is not a traditional course on A Tale of Two Cities. Our reading assignments will focus specifically on Carton, with sufficient background provided to understand his story. No previous knowledge of the novel is necessary.
Each day will feature selected readings, historical comparisons, reflection questions, discussions, and practical challenges ...
