An Inspector Calls: Context, Staging & Techniques

CONTEXT: BRITAIN IN 1912 AND 1945
• In 1912, Britain was firmly divided along class lines
• Only men who owned property could vote
• There was not as much government help for people in need as there is today
• There were conflicts between business owners and workers, such as the 1926 General Strike
• The Labour party won the 1945 general election
• Labour went on to introduce 'The Welfare State', so that people like Eva would be entitled to benefits and housing. Priestley supported this.

CONTEXT: SOCIAL CLASS
• The upper class inherited money and land
• The middle class were professionals or owned factories
• The working class had the hardest jobs and little money
• The upper classes didn't question the class system because it worked for them
• The Birlings (and Gerald) are caricatures of the ruling classes' bad qualities
• The Birlings are shown to be foolish and out of touch, and represent the entire ruling class in 1912

CONTEXT: GENDER
• Stereotypically, women are supposed to be obsessed with 'pretty clothes', shopping, and weddings.
• They are protected against 'unpleasant and disturbing' things
• Sheila is accused of being hysterical
• Men, on the other hand, are preoccupied with work and public affairs
• There are different rules for men and women. For example, men are allowed to have affairs, but women are not.
• The rules were very different depending on class.

CONTEXT: SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
• Priestley was a supporter of socialism, where wealth is shared by society as a whole
• The message of the play is clear in the Inspector's final speech: 'We are members of one body. We are responsible for one another.'
• By contrast, Mr Birling is a capitalist. He believes that every man 'has to look after himself'
• Mr Birling is interrupted in the middle of a lecture about his capitalist 'creed', suggesting Priestley didn't approve of these capitalist ideas.

STAGING
• All the action takes place in the dining room, which makes the mood more intense and claustrophobic.
• It also emphasises the Birlings' private, self-centred, and close-minded lifestyle.
• The lighting is 'pink and intimate' at the start, but 'brighter and harder' when the Inspector arrives.
• The clothes and furniture look wealthy. In contrast, the Inspector looks relatively plain.
• Stephen Daldry's 1992 production had the house set on stilts which collapsed at the end of the play.

DRAMATIC TECHNIQUES
• Information is revealed slowly to create tension
• An exit can signal a character trying to escape
• The front door bangs every time someone leaves or exits the house, which creates tension
• The characters all start seated, but by the end there are people standing, shouting, and crying
• Between acts, Priestley freezes the action to create tension
• There is significant dramatic irony. This engages the audience as it manipulates our feelings towards characters (e.g. the foolishness of Mr B when he is talking about the 'absolutely unsinkable' Titanic)

CHARACTERS' LANGUAGE
• Slang is used by the younger generation (e.g. squiffy)
• Sheila uses simple and childish language at the start, but at the end is more blunt
• Words like 'chaps' and 'jingo' show that characters of the same class are comfortable with each other
• The Inspector is plain and direct. For example, he says that Eva Smith was burnt 'inside out'
• He also uses silence: he has a 'disconcerting habit' of staring for a while
• The older Birlings often use the 'language of manners', when they say 'rude' and 'impertinent'

LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES
• Dramatic irony also makes it seem as if the Inspector knows everything - as if he is omniscient
• Euphemisms are used to hide the truth and avoid talking about something unpleasant
• The Inspector uses graphic imagery to shock the audience
• He also uses biblical imagery, which makes him sound like a religious figure