Why do you think Priestley chooses to set the play in 1912? What effect does this have on the play(TM)s dramatic impact?

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Why do you think Priestley chooses to set the play in 1912? What effect does this have on the play’s dramatic impact?

J.B Priestley’s morals and beliefs are displayed within his An Inspector Calls work as both a dramatic device and planned meaning. This is delivered in language and stage directions that all portray 1912 traits.

Priestley was a socialist, coming away from the horrors of war with a passion against complacency. Despite the play being written in 1945, Priestley chose to set the play in 1912- a time of stability and contentment that provided the catalyst to Priestley’s message of intent.

Perhaps Priestley believes the world was hiding from the problems of those days- the political divisions of capitalism and socialism portrayed in the Birling’s case as a smitten upper class family.

The play opens on a luxurious and beautifully decorated dining room, it’s in here that we are introduced to the Birling’s and Gerald Croft, all of them are successful and very rich. The room is “pink and intimate” and the atmosphere is happy and cheerful as they are having a party to celebrate the engagement of Sheila Birling, a young and naïve woman. On the large wooden dining table there are lavish and succulent foods spread across it. The fabulous decor, tender foods and silverware are representational to the Birling's wealth. Mr. Birling (presumed head of the family) is a loud, self-loving and pathetic man; this point is made clearly to the audience with his self-confident speeches and ridiculously inaccurate presumptions. Despite the reference to the “desert plates” and “champagne glasses” there is still a lingering feeling of cold and disagreement within the family. There is also a sense of formality and distance between the family members as he writes that "men are in tails and white ties" and that it is "not cosy and homelike". He also emphasises the remoteness between Mr and Mrs Birling by situating them at opposite ends of the table

We can draw contrasts from 1912 and 1945 on many occasions during An Inspector Calls. This is a useful tactic that is employed by Priestley to allow him to mock the upper class and also release tension in small packages.

Although Kind Edward VII died in 1900, the term “Edwardian Era” is usually used for up to 1914. Many people saw the end of the Edwardian era and the on set of war as the end to a time of peace and stability. But, it was a period of false security and Priestley uses this to emphasize the dramatic force of this play.

As readers in 1945 we can become incensed by some of the things Birling says. For example, dramatic irony is used to mock Mr Birling. Mr Birling states that there will never be a war and that he is excited about the sailing of the titanic. Famously, the ship sunk on her maiden voyage. This puts the audience at an advantage over the characters and makes us more involved. Due to us knowing this, our dislike for Mr Birling increases and he suddenly becomes more of an idiot than first presumed. This use of dramatic irony allows Priestley to create obvious stereotypes .This is also a case of Priestley being free to convey his messages due to his experiences of war and hardship during 1912. In 1912, rigid class and gender boundaries seemed to ensure that nothing would change. Yet by 1945, most of those class and gender divisions had been breached. The periods between 1900 and 1950 represent great leaps towards equality between men and women. Before WW1 (1914) women were expected to be home makers, raising and caring for their families. Women were expected to behave in a certain way. Eva Smith certainly goes against the norm- women generally didn’t work and would be shocked at a single, unmarried and pregnant woman. Sheila’s emotional empowerment- her coming of age- is similar to the progress in the women’s rights movement. Priestley wanted to make the most of these changes. Through this play, he encourages people to seize the opportunity the end of the war had given them to build a better, more caring society. These messages are consistently highlighted throughout the play adding a little tension to all developments. Priestley uses the time difference effectively, showing people that the way forward is socialism. He implies that in order to move forward and to rebuild the country, people have to work together as a society, instead of reverting back to capitalism.

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The Birling’s complacency is displayed in some of Mr Birling’s quotes during speeches. “You’ll hear people say war is inevitable. And to that I say-fiddlesticks!” the irony used by Priestley suggests that he is trying to make a mockery out the naivety of the upper class. Mr Birling becomes a character to dislike, “Just let me finish Eric. You’ve a lot to learn yet” the big headed attribute is ridden within the language.

Backing up this emotive language is stage directions. “Everyone looks attentively”- this shows Mr Birling’s pulling of the strings and controlling power in this dinner ...

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