Context

• Who wrote 'An Inspector Calls'?

  1. B. Priestley
• Why was it difficult to find a theatre for the first performance of 'An Inspector Calls'?

  Because it was written in a single week, leaving no time for arrangements.
• Where was 'An Inspector Calls' first performed?

  Moscow and Leningrad, Russia
• In what year did 'An Inspector Calls' reach London?

  1946
• When was 'An Inspector Calls' performed on Broadway?

  1947
• Why has 'An Inspector Calls' remained popular over the years?


  Because of its popularity with theatre troupes and exam boards.
• What genre does 'An Inspector Calls' fit into?

  It fits the trend of detective thriller and serious drama.
• What is a 'drawing room play'?

  A play that focuses on events occurring in a drawing room, often among the upper classes.
• How did the popularity of 'An Inspector Calls' change after the 1960s?

  It fell out of fashion due to the rise of Social Realist Theatre.
• What criticism does 'An Inspector Calls' address?

  It criticizes Capitalism and middle-class hypocrisy.
• When was J.B. Priestley born?

  1894
• What significant event happened shortly after Priestley's birth?

  His mother died, leading his father to remarry.
• What was Priestley's father's profession?

  He was a headmaster.
• What type of education did Priestley receive?

  He had a grammar school education.
• At what age did Priestley leave school?

  16
• What job did Priestley take after leaving school?

  He became a junior clerk at a wool firm.
• How did Priestley begin his writing career?

  He wrote at night while working during the day.
• What influenced much of Priestley's work?

  The culture of Yorkshire and the poverty he witnessed.
• What was the economic condition of Bradford during Priestley's youth?

  It was industrial, reliant on the wool and dyeing industries.
• How did Priestley view the respectable folk of Bradford?

  He viewed them as smug and hypocritical.
• What values influenced Priestley during his upbringing?

  Socialist values.
• What significant event occurred when Priestley was 19?

  War broke out.
• What roles did Priestley serve in the army?

  He served as a private, lance-corporal, and later an officer.
• What traumatic experiences did Priestley face during the war?

  He was buried alive by a shell attack and was a victim of a gas attack.
• How did Priestley's war experiences affect him?

  They haunted him forever and led to feelings of survivor's guilt.
• What realization did Priestley come to after the war?

  Social inequality had consequences beyond what he had seen at home.
• What did Priestley criticize in his memoir about the British command?

  He criticized the officer class for wasting lives in war.
• Where did Priestley study after the war?

  Cambridge University
• What professions did Priestley pursue after his studies?

  He became an essayist, novelist, and radio broadcaster.
• What political stance did Priestley take in his public life?

  He became a prominent Socialist.
• What event outraged Priestley regarding his fellow veterans?

  They were too poor to afford clothes for a regimental reunion.
• What role did Priestley take during World War Two?

  He became a radio broadcaster for the BBC.
• What was the purpose of Priestley's show 'Postscripts'?

  To give personal reflections on wartime conditions and boost national morale.
• What did Priestley call for in his broadcasts?

  A fairer, better society to emerge after the war.
• What was one of Priestley's most outspoken speeches about?

  It discussed the need for community and collective responsibility.
• What political party did Priestley co-found in 1942?

  The Common Wealth Party
• How did Priestley influence British politics?

  His opinions and broadcasts shaped political debate and helped Labour win the 1945 election.
• What key theme is prevalent in Priestley's work?

  Responsibility of the individual and the collective.
• What unique theory did Priestley develop in his works?

  His own theory on how time works.
• How does 'An Inspector Calls' reflect on the effects of actions over time?

  It examines the consequences of individual actions across a passage of time.