calling Year 11 English Lit: An Inspector Calls: I think the Inspector Did It

[Waterparc]

please help. DS1 has to study An Inspector Calls. He was doing a question on the ending and we have just realised that Eva was killed by the Inspector who then prepped the other characters to confess in order to have the perfect defence.

is there a better explanation?

Agree with clawdy.

It just never ages. It’s very clever that way.

All that stuff about the rich-poor divide, about social inequality, about the exploration of the working class still holds true today.

And certainly the warning about the future and reference to bloodshed of war is even more relevant. We will be taught it in ‘blood and fire and anguish’. We are being taught it across the world.

Agh typo *exploitation’ not exploration

I did An Inspector Calls for O Grade English in 1988 and it was pretty poor back then.

Poor Scottish students are still being subjected to "The Cone Gatherers" which is even worse.

"Poor Scottish students are still being subjected to "The Cone Gatherers" which is even worse."

just the title is making me laugh....

Ive had a modern version of this play kicking around my head for some time..................

out with it Helena....

Directed dd to this thread - apparently it never was whodunnit but Priestly’s message about social responsibility and the main themes of the play as a whole, an Inspector Calls was never written as a who done it, it was a study on the shape of pre-war society and the desperate need for a more socialist attitude —disclaimer I’ve never read it!!!—

Fair enough the themes are still relevant but the style is dated. But maybe it's because I found the Stephen Daldry version very clunky. Ooh the family is falling apart, let's have the set of the house actually fall apart! Give me the film with Alastair Sim any day!

The touring version of the play is still packing them in full houses though, Priestley got something right to begin with, the National Theatre got their revival right too

Kind of helps on the packing em in front if it's a gcse set text. 😁 My dsis took dn to see it the other day at my local theatre so I met them. Lots of 15/16 year olds there. They enjoyed though!

So odd, I thought about An Inspector Calls for the first time in decades this morning.
I saw it once when I was about 12 and it had a real impact on me, I got really taken by the idea of taking responsibility for your actions and ended up studying ethics.
I was wondering if it needed to be updated to still be relevant or if it would still stand. I need to read or see it again.

Updating would ruin it, I'm sure. You have to take it for what it is, really.

The play is pretty much guaranteed to sell out, since the audience will mostly be big school groups. I remember seeing it on a school trip and there were about 5 people in the audience who weren’t school children being forced to watch.

The point is the play is as relevant today as it was when it was written. I love the way a pphas described it as “pretty poor back then.” The very idea of “updating” it is hilarious - as if Priestley’s work does not stand the test of time. 🙄

And kids do actually get it.

...pp has

I really liked studying AIC! I thought the point was that it didn't matter if Eva was one person or not, their actions were the same and that was what the inspector was making them reflect on. I've never heard any discussion of anything supernatural

Dear Foslady's dd,

I know your teachers have told you that

"it never was whodunnit but Priestly’s message about social responsibility and the main themes of the play as a whole, an Inspector Calls was never written as a who done it, it was a study on the shape of pre-war society and the desperate need for a more socialist attitude "

I know that's what Priestley thought he was doing .

I know you have to say that for your GCSE.

But it's a poor ending.

I like the idea of Priestley's impish girlfriend suggesting the ending knowing it created a dark alternative that hardly anyone would see....

Here. DD is doing AIC at the moment, having achieved an A* in English lit myself back in the day I felt I could reasonably chat with her about it and explained how the inspector was a device for each of the characters to examine their own shortcomings etc. DD went into school enthused and related this to the teacher who told her in no uncertain terms that wasn’t the case. AIBU to think the teacher is a berk? 🙄

Can't believe they're still doing this! Do they still do Z for Zachariah for year 9s?

(I remember literally nothing but the title so can't help.)

Don't get my wrong I'm fond of the play and have read it several times (for pleasure 😄). I disliked the Daldry production because he kind of underlined some of the themes rather than let it speak for itself; Priestly amply shows the class distinctions, the Birling family relying on that social construct for their self assurance and the claustrophobia. I think a more naturalistic approach would have worked better.

Interesting to remember (according to wiki) it was first staged in The Soviet Union.

Yes your dd's teacher is a berk Larry. So much for thinking for yourself and exams not just being a tick exercise.

We never saw it performed which was a huge mistake. Plays are meant to be seen not just read. Probably why I can't remember any of it now.

^I did very well btw. But obviously would've got more from it long term if it had been seen rather than just read.

Ha! Z for Zachariah. We did that at that age too, Enid. Wonder if we're the same age? Maybe we were in the same class? Z for Zachariah really scared me!!

yes that teacher is a berk.
my son's teacher likes my ideas. don't think she'll like my ending idea though :)

as to a performance of the play with the ideas "underlined" - crikey - they aren't exactly subtle to begin with are they?