Author and journalist, Italo Calvino once stated that, “a classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say”, the perennial feature of a classic novel is able to provide a sense of relatability to the modern reader regardless of societal contexts. The significance of reinterpretation of classical texts lays in its disclosure of the modifications in society; the transformation of attitudes and values is juxtaposed in various milieus making it applicable to a vast audience. The novel "Emma" by Jane Austen scrutinizes the numerous complications of dating, ranging from social hierarchy, family and friendship to love and matrimony. The loosely based adaptation "Clueless" utilizes Jane Austen's ability to decipher human emotion and refashioning it to a much more appealing and marketable American High School setting. The protagonist of Clueless, Cher …show more content…
Her decision can be seen as snobbery however there is a strong underlying message of the notion that women have adapted and are now able to make self-sufficient choices which wont place them in financial destitution. Jane Austen articulates the self-same notion at numerous stages in the novel specifically in the quote, "a woman is not to marry a man merely because she is asked (…) it is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage. A man always imagines a woman to be ready for any body who asks her". The concept of female empowerment is conspicuous as each character makes the verdict as to whom they choose to be romantically linked with, although this is undoubtedly due to their status and wealth. This is an important message to send to younger women, how the choice of whom you want to date must be by your own preference and an understanding of their
Clueless is about a popular 16 year old named Cher Horowitz. Cher is a rich, popular beverly hills student. Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's social list. Cher and her best friend Dionne Davenport, two of the most popular sophomores in school, play matchmakers for two teachers. Encouraged by her success, she decides to give klutzy new student Tai a makeover. When Tai becomes more popular than Cher is, Cher realizes that her ex-stepbrother, Josh, was right about how misguided she was and falls for him. Amy Heckerling apted the film of off a book named Emma by Jane Austen. The film was produced on July 19, 1995 and grossed $56 million in the United States. I chose this film because it is a very funny movie that shows the inside of the life of a popular rich teen in beverly hills. Clueless shows the world inside of a popular high school girl. Cher and Dionne both have a love of fashion and beauty but also have different interests. These characters may seem very shallow but actually have a much deeper way of thinking. Clueless is certainly a celebration of unapologetic femininity.
Texts can be re-contextualised and manipulated in order to be relevant to a modern day society. However, the transformation is usually apparent and thus a link can be established between the original and the new. The transformation can give the audience a better understanding of societal values and attitudes present in the texts. Jane Austen's book Emma(1816), relevant to society in Regency England, is relived in a modern day context relevant to the 20th century American society in Amy Heckerling's “teen flick” Clueless(1995). Social status plays a crucial part in both texts.
to. So it defines one's rank to be at one of these social functions as
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, Cher
A Comparison of Emma by Jane Austen and Movie Clueless The film Clueless, written and directed by Amy Heckerling, is an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma and closely parallels the story in terms of character development and action. Although Emma was written in 1816 and developed ideas and issues of that period in time, 180 years on we can still recognize and identify with the exact same issues. This just proves that despite all the radical social changes that have taken place since Jane Austen's time, people and life haven't really changed all that much. The general life issues of money, love, friendship, class and finding ones place in the world are raised in both texts.
In the novel, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Austen attempts to change gender roles, alter inequalities between genders, and add a feminist tone to society's issues. This is done when a white, unmarried, Victorian female comes into conflict with her mother’s standards for her and society’s standards of women. This happens in a situation in which she decides whether to conform to these standards, or rebel. A wealthy, prideful, unmarried man pushes her towards rebelling, and the result may be the female accompanying the man and breaking society’s standards.
Jane Austen shows the readers within the first sentence what the plot and main theme of Pride and Prejudice is and what social ideas she plans on presenting through this novel. The first sentence of Pride and Prejudice stands as one of the most famous introductory lines in literature. It states, “it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austen 5). This statement puts the novel in motion by showing that the novel will deal with the pursuit of single wealthy men by various female characters. By stating this, Austen reveals that the reverse is also true in the nineteenth century English society, which is that single women of
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice examines and critiques a society built upon gender roles. Austen does this by examining the obstacles women experienced in the Regency Period. Austen expresses how women were controlled, and objectified by men through their need to get married to a man. Additionally, the novel ridicules how women who could not afford to live without men were shadowed by their partner. This commentary is seen through the portrayal of the Bennet sisters. The females of the family are forced to marry because they do not inherit any wealth. The family is forced to comply with the same boundaries Austen was governed by. Therefore, Austen focuses on how the Bennet sisters overcome a society that suppresses them. This allows the reader to comprehend the strength, perseverance, determination, and assertiveness of the women in this time. Overall, Jane Austen addresses gender issues throughout the story. This is seen in the progressive image of Elizabeth, as she combats the inequality women experience. Although it was not common for women to criticize the patriarchy, the overall depiction of females is progressive. Elizabeth represents Austen’s feminist views, and the depiction of women in the novel is seen through her feminist image as she deals with Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy.
Pride and Prejudice tells a story of a young girl in the midst of a very materialistic society. Jane Austen uses the setting to dramatize the restraints women had to endure in society. As the novel develops, we see how women have to act in a way according to their gender, social class, and family lineage. Elizabeth Bennet’s sisters represent the proper societal lady while Lizzy is the rebel. Through her characters Austen shows how a women’s happiness came second to the comfort of wealth. As the plot develops, events are laid out to illustrate how true love is unattainable when women marry for intentions of wealth. Women have very specific and limited roles in a society where men are the superior. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
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 later, in the late twentieth century. Despite the significantly different geographical and historical setting and the diverse social values, lifestyles, and issues than those depicted in Emma, Amy Heckerling’s high school setting retains and is
Jane Austen’s novel is commanded by women; Pride and Prejudice explores the expectations of women in a society that is set at the turn of the 19th century. Throughout the plot, Austen’s female characters are all influenced by their peers, pressures from their family, and their own desires. The social struggle of men and women is seen throughout the novel. Characters, like Elizabeth, are examples of females not acting as proper as women were supposed to, while other women like Mrs. Bennett allow themselves to be controlled by men and society. Mr. Collins is a representation of the struggles males deal with in a novel dominated by women. The theme of marriage is prominent during Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Marriage can be examined in
Clueless (1995) stars Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz. Like Emma, she is rich and lives with her single father. Here she is only 15 and already has her own car (before she even has a license!) and spends most of her time with her best friend, Dionne. The Mr. Knightley character is played by her ex step-brother, Josh, played by Paul Rudd. The movie loosely follows a lot of Emma‘s plotlines. Cher hooks up two of her teachers and from there gets it into her head to be a matchmaker. She decides to give this version’s Harriet Smith, new girl Tai (Brittany Murphy), a makeover and to hook her up with Elton. She convinces Tai that her crush, stoner Travis, is no good. Things backfire for her when her matchmaking plans not only fail but Tai eclipses her as the most popular girl. She goes after Christian (Frank Churchill), and although he’s not a cad like Frank in the book, he has other reasons for not going for Cher.
In eighteenth century which feminist in social status was not popular by that time, author can only through literature to express her thought and discontented about society. Jane Austen’s Emma advocates a concept about the equality of men and women. Also satirizes women would depend on marriage in exchange to make a living or money in that era. By the effect of society bourgeois, Emma has little self-arrogant. She is a middle class that everyone could admire, “Young, pretty, rich and clever”, she has whatever she needs. She disdains to have friends with lower levels. However, she is soon reach satisfaction with matchmaking for her friend. Story characterizes a distorted society images and the superiority of higher class status. It
In the novel Emma, the author, Jane Austen, uses many different techniques to characterize Miss Bates as a woman with no intellect, but a very kind heart. Miss Bates in a humorous character who is loved and loving.
Jane Austen impacted the world of literature in more ways than one. Museums located around the United Kingdom are dedicated to her works which many people still enjoy to this day. Audiences around the world continue to read the love stories she shared many years ago. She portrayed a sense of female strength and hefty feelings of true love in her writing. Austen’s wording and her particular writing style are recognizable among those who enjoy 18th century literature, her distinct approach to the realities of the time is one reason her fan base has grown over the years. Jane Austen pioneered romantic literature because she was among the first authors to write a happily ever after type story, and she used her work to portray this feeling