AIC: context Flashcards
1
Q
What is Marxist theory ?
A
- a social, economic and political philosophy
- the ruling classes are the “bourgeoisie”
- the non-ruling classes are the “proletariat”
- the bourgeoisie’s aim is to keep the proletariat beneath them in terms of power and status
- to do this, they use the repressive state apparatus (police force, judicial courts, law) and the ideological state apparatus (the media, education systems, politicians speaking/campaigning)
- they also reify (dehumanise) the proletariat to make it easier to take advantage of them
- one day, the proletariat will gather and overthrow the bourgeoisie, restoring a natural distribution of power/an abolishment of any class system, de facto or de jure
2
Q
When was AIC set ?
A
1912 (2 years before WW1 and the Titanic’s sinking)
3
Q
When was AIC written ?
A
1945 (after WW2 ended)
4
Q
Why was there a great desire for social change across all classes after WW2 ?
A
- the war helped people to see that there was no difference between classes when it came down to it; all were fighting side by side in WWs
- their current conservative gov. and capitalist system caused 2 WWs
- after WWs women earned a lot more respect
5
Q
What was the Great Unrest ?
A
- 1910-1914
- series of militant strikes
- caused by the UK’s global economic decline, growing gap between classes, fall in value of wages, growth of trade unions and the attacks on the working class by the state
6
Q
When was the NHS set up ?
A
1948
7
Q
What is egalitarianism ?
A
the belief that everyone is equal and thus should have equal opportunities in society
8
Q
Which are the two relevant economic systems in the play AIC ?
A
- capitalism
- socialism
9
Q
Why did Priestley write AIC ?
A
- to criticise capitalism
- to criticise the class system
- to criticise sexism/the patriarchy
- as propaganda for socialism and his own socialist party
- to encourage social change among the post-war Edwardian generation who largely were his audience
10
Q
Which areas of context are applicable to AIC ?
A
- patriarchy
- FEMINISM
- marxism
- capitalism
- socialism
- christianity
- epic theatre/realism
11
Q
What is realism ?
A
- style of theatre
- popularised by Stanislavski
- theatre is immersive and realistic in nature with little elements of the supernatural etc.
12
Q
What is Brechtian/Epic theatre ?
A
- style of theatre
- popularised by Brecht
- theatre purposefully breaks the 4th wall and breaks the audience’s immersion
- designed to get audience to think more deeply about the actual content of the play and not just the story
- used largely for plays focusing on political or social ideologies/events
13
Q
What is Consequentialism ?
A
- moral system
- a thing is good or bad based on if the consequences of that thing are good or bad
14
Q
What is Deontological Morality ?
A
- moral system
- a thing is good or bad based on its potential to have good or bad consequences
