An I Calls Historical Context

Coursework ± 20th Century Play µAn Inspector Calls¶ By J.B. Priestley

An Inspector Calls Set in 1912 but written and performed in 1945 So«« the audience knew more than the characters on the stage ««« this is known as dramatic irony

What

was life like in 1912? Edwardian England

Two years before the outbreak of  WW1

A society of classes: Upper Class Middle Class Working

Class

µUnderclass ± prostitutes, beggars, the Workhouse No movement between classes. You You were born into, married within and died in the same class. The rare exception would be marrying up a class.

The Upper Class

-

very wealthy

Had servants but had no other contact with the working class.

The working class

Very poor housing conditions. Very little l ittle pay Everyone worked very long hours ± no unions

The Workhouse

Overcrowded Appalling conditions Cruelly run Death rate high

What

was going on in the world at this time?

The Titanic was built and about to sail.

The worry of war was on the horizon.

1912 attitudes: Men had the power/authority Upper class men would have ha ve affairs/mistresses Pregnancy outside the marriage = disaster for the woman

The 1st WWW changed everything: Women

took on men¶s work 

Women

got the vote

The war made people more equal eg. rich and poor had food rations, they all wore the same same sort of clothes, they all lost their men.

Priestley was concerned that society who had worked so well together  during the war, would return to their selfish attitudes of the pre war. war.

The Family «« Arthur Birling ?

?

Eva Smith

?

?

Sheila Birling

Sybil Birling

?

?

? ?

Gerald Croft

Eric Birling Now lets read the play««... p lay««...