🕵️ An Inspector Calls Context - The Ultimate Guide to Nail Your Essays

📅 1. Two Time Periods: 1912 vs 1945

• Set in 1912: Just before the Titanic sank and World War One started — a time when the upper classes were confident and society seemed stable.

• Written in 1945: After two world wars and massive social change. Priestley wanted his audience to look back at 1912 and see the ignorance and arrogance that led to disaster.

Key point: The play’s timing shows how people ignored warnings and repeated mistakes - and Priestley wanted to stop that happening again.

🏭 2. Edwardian Britain and the Class Divide

• - In 1912, Britain was rigidly divided: rich families like the Birlings lived in luxury, while many workers were poor and powerless.

• - There was no welfare state - if you lost your job or became pregnant out of wedlock, like Eva Smith, you often faced starvation or the workhouse.

• - Birling’s attitude - proud of profit and dismissive of social responsibility - reflects the selfish capitalist views of many businessmen of the time.

💼 3. Post-War Britain and Priestley’s Hope for Change

• - In 1945, people were rebuilding after WWII and demanding fairer treatment - leading to free healthcare (NHS), better housing, and workers’ rights.

• - Priestley was a passionate socialist - he believed people should care for one another.

• - He used the Inspector to give his own message: if people stay selfish, there will be “fire and blood and anguish” (wars and suffering again).

👨‍💻 4. About JB Priestley

• - Born in Bradford in 1894, Priestley saw the struggles of poor workers growing up in an industrial city.

• - He served in WWI, which shaped his hatred of arrogance and blind patriotism.

• - After the war, he became a well-known writer and broadcaster, arguing for social fairness and equality.

👗 5. Gender and Power

• - In 1912, men dominated. Women were expected to marry well and behave properly — not work independently.

• - Upper-class women, like Sybil Birling, were involved in charity but often judged working-class women harshly.

• - Eva Smith’s story shows how working-class women were especially vulnerable to exploitation by powerful men like Gerald and Eric.

🕵️ 6. The Play as a Moral Wake-Up Call

• - An Inspector Calls is more than a detective story - it’s a warning. Priestley uses Inspector Goole to challenge each character’s excuses and force them (and the audience) to accept responsibility.

• - The Inspector’s final speech predicts terrible consequences if society ignores the poor and vulnerable - a direct lesson for the 1945 audience rebuilding after war.

🌍 7. Context that Still Matters Today

Context Point	Why It Still Matters
Class inequality	Big gaps between rich and poor remain in many countries.
Social responsibility	Priestley’s message that we must care for each other is timeless.
Generational divide	Younger people challenging old-fashioned views is still relevant.
Women’s rights	Eva’s story highlights the need for respect and protection of vulnerable people.

📝 8. How to Use Context in Essays

✅ Set up your point: “Priestley wrote the play in 1945 but set it in 1912 to show how arrogant attitudes caused suffering.”

✅ Link characters to context: Birling symbolises greedy capitalism; Sheila and Eric symbolise hope for change.

✅ Use quotes with context: Birling calling the Titanic “unsinkable” shows dramatic irony and his foolish confidence.

✅ Connect to themes: Explain how Priestley’s socialist message shines through the Inspector’s speeches.

✅ Show relevance: End your paragraph by saying how Priestley’s warnings still matter today.

📚 Want to Master It?

There’s even more to learn - timelines, deeper analysis, full essay plans, top quotes with context, and practice questions - all in the official An Inspector Calls Revision Guides under ‘Revision Guides’. Perfect for writing powerful, confident answers.