An Inspector Calls - J.B. Priestley

I studied this play for my Standard Grades last year and I really enjoyed it. It's a thrilling read and you should definately read the book or go to see the play onstage. Below is an edited excerpt of an essay I wrote on the play, which I feel is relevent to the task of writing a review. "An Inspector Calls" is a play by JB Priestley and is set in "the dining room of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer" and begins very cheerfully and positively, depicted by Priestley as "[The family] are celebrating a special occasion, and are pleased with themselves". The merriment of the party is ...  Read the complete review

When my English teacher told us that we would be studying a play as part of my GCSE English course last year , I prayed that it wouldn't be something too difficult like Shakespeare ; something some of my friends had already begun studying in a different class. So when my teacher passed copies of this book around the class , I was hoping it would be something I would enjoy , as I tend to do really well in things I enjoy , however it is a completely different story if I don't enjoy something. Anyway ...back to my story.... So....the teacher was handing round copies of this book. I grabbed my copy wondering what to expect. The cover hard....similar to that of the ...  Read the complete review

John Boynton Priestly's 'An Inspector Calls' was written in 1945, just after the Second World War, however, the story itself is set in 1912, which is before the First World War and during the Edwardian era. The play focuses on one capitalist family living in London; a Mr Arthur Birling, Mrs Sybil Birling, Sheila Birling, Eric Birling and Sheila's husband to be Gerald Croft. From the preface of the play, we are told that the Birling family are highly wealthy and belong to the upper class. Mr. Birling, "a hard headed man of business" is the owner of a large firm, he is well known amongst society and is presented as a rather pompous and extremely self orientated. ...  Read the complete review

An Inspector Calls is a play written by J.B. Priestley in 1945, based before World War I, in 1912. The play is about a family, the majority of whom are aristocrats who live in a capitalist atmosphere; full of lies, pride and pure selfishness. Throughout the play a mystery inspector gradually reveals the characters' true identity, looking at how they all contributed to the suicide of Eva Smith. As the play progresses you begin to see that the characters start to understand their personalities, 'wrong-doings' and problems in a clearer light and each of them, despite differing degrees of transformation, move closer to being a socialist citizen. Priestley's main ...  Read the complete review

I have studied An Inspector Calls for my GCSE English literature coursework, so here is the basic outline of the story... An Inspector Calls was written in 1945, just after the second world war. It is set on a spring evening in 1912, part of the Edwardian era. The first production of the play was performed in London at the New Theatre on the 1st of October 1946. The play was written by John Boynton Priestley who was a socialite. The characters of the play are Arthur Birling, Sybil Birling, Sheila Birling, Eric Birling, Gerald Croft, Inspector Goole, Edna (the maid) and Eva Smith. The Birling family are of high class and are ...  Read the complete review