J.B. Priestley – AQA GCSE English Literature
Modern Drama
1912 and 1945
12 Lessons
An Inspector Calls Complete Study Guide
Written in 1945, set in 1912, aimed at every year in between.
A complete 12-lesson course covering the Inspector as a dramatic device, the generational divide, socialist versus capitalist ideology, and the gap between 1912 and 1945 that gives the play its force.
£22
One-off purchase
Download immediately – yours to keep
–The 1912/1945 gap, fully explained
–The Inspector as a dramatic device
–Full socialist versus capitalist context
–Grade 4-9 examples throughout
The Real Problem
Most students miss why the date on the cover matters
Priestley wrote a warning, disguised as a detective story.
An Inspector Calls is set in 1912 but was written and first performed in 1945, right after two world wars had reshaped Britain’s politics. That gap between when it’s set and when it was written is the single most important piece of context in the whole play, and most students never connect it directly to specific lines rather than treating it as background trivia.
This guide keeps that gap in view throughout, showing exactly how Priestley uses dramatic irony, aimed at a 1945 audience who already knew what 1912 optimism led to, to build his argument about collective social responsibility.
What’s In The Guide
Twelve lessons, four months, one central device
Introduction
Why the 1912/1945 gap is the key to the whole play, and how to use it in analysis rather than as background.
Structure
The three-act structure, the real-time setting, and how the Inspector’s exits and entrances control the pace of revelation.
The Inspector
Goole as a dramatic device rather than a realistic character, and what that ambiguity is doing for Priestley’s argument.
Characters
Mr and Mrs Birling, Sheila, Eric, Gerald, and Eva Smith, each with exam-ready analysis and generational contrast.
Themes
Social responsibility, class, gender, age and generational change, each with quotations and analysis throughout.
Quotations
Twelve key quotations, including “We are members of one body” and the deliberate dramatic irony in Mr Birling’s confident predictions.
Context
Edwardian society, the Titanic, socialism versus capitalism, and Priestley’s own wartime politics, connected directly to specific lines.
Exam Technique
Grade 4, 6, and 9 model paragraphs on the same question, plus a full revision card for last-minute preparation.
Everything in the An Inspector Calls Complete Study Guide
- The 1912/1945 gap explained and applied throughout
- The Inspector analysed as a dramatic device, not a realistic character
- All major characters with exam-ready, generational analysis
- Four themes with quotations and analysis throughout
- Twelve key quotations, including the ones most guides miss
- Full context: Edwardian society, the Titanic, socialism versus capitalism
- Grade 4, 6, and 9 model paragraphs on the same question
- Quick revision card for last-minute preparation
AQA GCSE English Literature
An Inspector Calls Complete Study Guide
£22
One-off purchase
- The 1912/1945 gap, fully explained
- The Inspector as a dramatic device
- Full socialist versus capitalist context
- Grade 4, 6, and 9 model paragraphs
Download immediately. Yours to keep.
