Emma and Clueless Essay - 897 Words

It seems to be a reoccurring theme these days for movie writers to recycle old concepts and story lines. This is the exact case in the popular 1995 film Clueless written and directed by Amy Heckerling. This film seems to be all about the trials of the good life in Beverly Hills, but if one looks deeper it is actually a modern take on the classic novel Emma by Jane Austen. When closely examined one can see how the two main characters are exactly alike except they are matched to their own particular time periods. The issues that affected Emma in her day and the same issue that affect Cher in hers. Cher and Emma are both over confident in themselves, they misjudge others, and they experience the same types of problems in their romantic†¦show more content†¦Once these initial mistakes are made both characters begin to mess up over and over again. Emma believes Frank Churchill to be unspoken for and attempts to place herself in he favor. The best parallel for this in Cluel ess is when Cher mistakes a gay friend to be someone interested in dating her. Both men each have unarguable reasons for being decidedly unavailable. Another mistake both characters make is by insulting people close to them. Emma also insults Miss. Bates by implying that she is stupid, causing her true mate, Mr. Knightly, to think poorly of her (Austen, 191-194). In Clueless Cher says that Lucy, her maid, speaks Mexican as opposed to Spanish making Josh think shes rude. Cher and Emma both make the mistake of misjudging others. Neither of them can correctly judge the intentions of others. Emma believes that her attempts to set up Harriet with Mr. Elton are successful when he begins to spend all of his time with the girls and fawns over her painting of Harriet like a schoolboy. However, Emma cannot see that Mr. Elton has set his sights on her and not her friend. His love for the painting is due to the painter and not to the model. Cher encounters the same dilemma when she believes that Elton is in love with Ty. Elton asks for the picture of Ty to put in his locker, it is because it is a picture Cher has taken not because it is of Ty. Whenever he does anything nice for her, CherShow MoreRelatedEmma Clueless915 Words   |  4 PagesESSAY PLAN: TRANSFORMATIONS ( EMMA/CLUELESS Intro: C appropriates E’s 19th Century context into a contemp. Beverley Hill’s society embedded in material availability and conspicuous consumption. o Austen’s PURPOSE not changed ( C ( satire of context and human nature ( C has other purp. ( Question value and validity of texts ( POMO TRANSFORMATION THESIS: The transformation of a text helps develop and mold new meaning to its counterpart, and hence deepen the understanding ofRead MoreClueless a Transformation of Emma4584 Words   |  19 PagesHow does the composer of Clueless use film techniques to transform the social, historical and environmental context of Jane Austen’s Emma to the modern context of Clueless? Amy Heckerling’s Clueless involves a storyline, which closely follows the text of Jane Austen’s novel Emma. However, there are some key points of difference in the transformation that has taken place. This is due to the individual context of the nineteenth century prose text and that of the modern appropriated film text. TheRead MoreEmma and Clueless Essay1975 Words   |  8 PagesHow has the change in context of Emma and clueless shaped the values conveyed in the two texts? 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Emma is set in 16th century England, where the rigid social structure dominated social interaction. This is contrasted to Clueless, which is set in 1990’s Beverly Hills where popularity was integral to determining a relationship. Being integral to modern society, relationships were used as medium to secure wealth and to findRead MoreComparing Clueless and Emma Essay1816 Words   |  8 PagesCLUELESS VS. EMMA Adaptations of Jane Austen’s, Emma, are usually period pieces diligent in capturing and replicating the manners, dress, language and values of the original text. Clueless, written and directed by Amy Heckerling, deviates drastically from the norm, as the film is not a period piece. While Emma is set in the early nineteenth century in the country village of Highbury, sixteen miles out of London, England, Clueless is set in Bronson Alcott High School almost two hundred years laterRead MoreThe Connection Between Clueless and Emma Essay594 Words   |  3 PagesThe Connection Between Clueless and Emma A valuable connection can be made be made between Jane Austens Emma and Amy Heckerlings Clueless although fashion, customs, society and language differ between the two. The connection is made through the plot, characters and inevitable human nature. The themes of vanity, rank, status and gossip link the two medias and create a valuable linkage in relating the 19th century life with the contemporary world. Fashion is constantlyRead MoreSummary Of Emma And Amy Heckerlings Clueless1369 Words   |  6 PagesJane Austens  Emma  and Amy Heckerlings  Clueless. 1300-1500 words Texts and their appropriations presents the ways of thinking and the values existent within their societies. When comparing Jane Austen’s Regency novel Emma and Amy Heckerling’s adaptive feature Clueless, it is evident they offer diverse perspectives significant to understanding the composer’s contexts. In differentiation, Emma highlights the significance of matrimony, whereas this value is cast aside in Clueless. Clueless also introducesRead MoreTransformation - Jane Austen Emma to Clueless2160 Words   |  9 PagesHeckerling’s post-modern film transformation Clueless (1995) is derived from Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma (1816) with both texts comparable as they use satire to address similar values. The shift in context enables the texts to reinforce the values of Regency England or 1990s Beverly Hills. Heckerling subverts and appropriates the original text to a cinematic context, through this she can comment on American society thus invoking n ew meaning to the ideas in Emma. Both composers approach the place of