Discuss the presentation of the Inspector in 'An Inspector Calls'.

The first 200 words of this essay...

Discuss the presentation of the Inspector in 'An Inspector Calls'

John B Priestly, 20th century author and playwright, lived from 1894 to 1984. Famous for being a politically charged writer, Priestly wrote critically about the social class system that was present in the Edwardian times. The rigid divisions between the different classes created a huge gap between the rich and poor. Being the ardent socialist that he was, Priestly felt strongly about these divisions and believed in equality, shared responsibility and unity between all people. A lot of his writings subtly demonstrate Priestley's views on socialism. An example of this is his short play 'An Inspector Calls'.

Set in an industrial city in the Midlands, the play was written in 1945 - thirty-three years after the play was set. By setting the play in 1912, Priestly had the advantage of incorporating a lot of dramatic irony into the play. Another advantage of setting the play more than thirty years previously is that the audience will have a more distant point of view of the play, thus giving them a more critical stance of the characters. Priestly wrote the play to provoke thought and to challenge