An Inspector Calls
J.B. Priestley (1945)
“A mysterious inspector dismantles a wealthy family's respectability in a single evening — and Priestley dismantles an entire class system in three acts.”
At a Glance
In 1912, the prosperous Birling family celebrates daughter Sheila's engagement to Gerald Croft when Inspector Goole arrives with news that a young working-class woman, Eva Smith, has killed herself by drinking disinfectant. Through relentless questioning, the Inspector reveals that every member of the family — and Gerald — bears responsibility for Eva's destruction. Arthur sacked her from his factory for striking; Sheila had her dismissed from a shop out of petty jealousy; Gerald kept her as a mistress then abandoned her; Sybil refused her charity aid when she was pregnant and destitute; Eric got her pregnant and stole money to support her. After the Inspector leaves, the family discovers he may not have been a real police inspector at all. The older Birlings celebrate their escape from scandal, but Sheila and Eric are permanently changed. Then the phone rings: a girl has just died, and a real inspector is on his way.
Read full summary →Why This Book Matters
Premiered in Moscow in 1945 (the Soviet Union staged it before Britain, recognising its socialist content) and opened in London in 1946. It became a staple of British theatre and education almost immediately. The 1992 Stephen Daldry production at the National Theatre was a cultural event that ran for decades and introduced the play to millions. It is the most-studied play in the British GCSE examination system and one of the most frequently performed plays in the English-speaking world. In Britain, it occupies the same educational position that The Great Gatsby holds in American schools.
Diction Profile
Formal Edwardian dialogue with class-stratified registers — upper-middle-class propriety masking moral bankruptcy
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