Embedded Files
Watch the 1982 version
Watch the 1982 version
YouTube has the full 1982 adaptation of An Inspector Calls to help you understand how the play unfolds.
Watching is highly recommended as it will allow you to visualise how dramatic techniques work on the stage.
How to structure your paragraphs
How to structure your paragraphs
Follow this step by step guide to writing an analysis paragraph.
Tip: say what it is then say what it means.
How to organise the time in Unit 2a
How to organise the time in Unit 2a
An Inspector Calls
Extract - 20 minutes (quotes and analyse language)
Essay - 40 minutes (quotes and link to history/context)
Heroes
Extract - 20 minutes (quotes and analyse language)
Essay - 40 minutes (quotes and analyse language)
Dramatic irony
Dramatic irony
Definition: the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.
Priestley constantly criticises the wealthy upper-middle class throughout the play. Although the work is fiction, each character represents a 'type' of person in society that Priestley believes people should strive to not become.
One of the most obvious characters is the pompous Mr Birling, who makes a string of ridiculous statements to attempt to show his 'intelligence', however, through the use of dramatic irony, Priestley conveys him as a fool.
The characters stand for something real; these characters are constructions designed for purpose; they exist to fulfil Priestley's authorial intentions. And in a play designed to show the horrors of capitalism and the benefits of socialism in a historical period of potential change, Birling is THE ENEMY.
Birling is a metaphor for capitalism; he represents the wealthy upper-middle classes; worse still, he stands for the ignorance and foolishness of the rich.
Aim for A* with this comprehensive guide to Eva Smith/Daisy Renton
Aim for A* with this comprehensive guide to Eva Smith/Daisy Renton
You'll hear all about the intrinsic clues that Priestley gives us about the pivotal character of the play.
Revise Inspector Goole Quotations
Revise Inspector Goole Quotations
Quizlet is a great way to revise quotations. You are actively engaging with the quotations by working out which quotation matches which definition. Repeating the process will ensure the quotes stays in your long term memory and nearly become automatic when you're writing.
Click here to access a great collection of Inspector Goole quotes on Quizlet.
Follow @Aninspectortho2 for thought provoking ideas and revision ideas to develop your revision strategies.
Challenge: try the left hand task to train yourself to be able to analyse any section of the play.
Fantastic for the extract question in the exam.
Aim for A* with Inspector Goole
Aim for A* with Inspector Goole
Listen to how Inspector Goole perceives the play and how his role is vital.
A list of excellent revision websites
A list of excellent revision websites
Click on the links below to be instantly transported to fantastic revision material to help you with your revision.
Stage Directions and Dramatic Effects
Stage Directions and Dramatic Effects
As you read the play, it is important to imagine yourself watching and listening to the action. The stage directions are important in helping us to imagine exactly what is going on
The play is in 'real time' - in other words, the story lasts exactly as long as the play is on the stage. So, what happens in a comparatively short time to create such a dramatic contrast? How is the drama maintained and the audience involved?
Setting and Subtle Hints
Setting and Subtle Hints
The Setting and Lighting are very important. Priestley describes the scene in detail at the opening of Act 1, so that the audience has the immediate impression of a "heavily comfortable house." The setting is constant (all action happens in the same place). Priestley says that the lighting should be "pink and intimate" before the Inspector arrives - a rose-tinted glow - when it becomes "brighter and harder." The lighting reflects the mood of the play.
The dining room of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer. It has good solid furniture of the period. At the moment they have all had a good dinner, are celebrating a special occasion, and are pleased with themselves.
There are subtle hints that not is all as it seems. For example, early on we wonder whether the happy atmosphere is slightly forced. Sheila wonders where Gerald was last summer, Eric is nervous about something, Lord and Lady Croft did not attend the engagement dinner. This arouses interest in the audience - we want to find out what is going on!
Continue to explore more on BBC Bitesize.
Further reading
Further reading
Wider reading (articles etc about An Inspector Calls) will help you develop a better understanding of the play. Reading other people's ideas and opinions will develop your critical thinking skills.
As Dr. Seuss once said: "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
How JB Priestley’s Inspector first called on the USSR - The Guardian
Priestley’s first postwar play, An Inspector Calls, was premiered not in London but in Leningrad. Seventy years on, and in the runup to both the revival of Stephen Daldry’s classic production on stage and a new BBC film version, the playwright’s Russian journey seems more extraordinary than ever.
An introduction to An Inspector Calls - The British Library
Chris Power introduces An Inspector Calls as a morality play that denounces the hypocrisy and callousness of capitalism and argues that a just society can only be achieved if all individuals feel a sense of social responsibility.
An Inspector Calls: the message behind the new BBC thriller - The Telegraph
As Priestley’s An Inspector Calls comes to BBC One, Tim Martin examines the biting message behind its cosy whodunnit façade.
An Inspector Calls and J B Priestley’s political journey - The British Journal
Alison Cullingford explores how J B Priestley's childhood in Bradford and experiences during two world wars shaped his socialist beliefs and fueled the anger of his play An Inspector Calls, a work that revolves around ideas of social responsibility and guilt.
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