In this lecture, we think about some of the principle themes of An Inspector Calls, focusing in particular on: (i) the theme of family in the play, including the Inspector’s view that the whole human race is a kind of family; (ii) the representation of time in the play, particularly in the context of the work of Albert Einstein; (iii) the representation of class in the play, and particularly the class difference between Mr Birling and his wife, and between the Birlings and the Crofts; and (iv) the politics of the play, particularly Birlings’ comments on the Titanic (‘absolutely unsinkable’) and the possibility of war (‘impossible’).

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This lecture is part of a larger course exploring J. B. Priestley’s 1946 play, An Inspector Calls. The full course can be found here: https://massolit.io/courses/priestley...

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MASSOLIT works with university academics to produce short video lectures in the arts, sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is available to schools and colleges on an institutional license as well as via private subscription: https://www.massolit.io/?source=yt