Texts and their appropriations are related to particular historical periods, and the diverse perspectives they offer are significant to understanding the ways of thinking and the values held during that period. Discuss with close reference to Jane Austen's Emma and Amy Heckerling's 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 …show more content…
Even so, Dione and Murray show public affection for one another, which was also not seen as inappropriate in Regency England before or even after wedlock. Through the presentation of their physical contact and close body proximity, the audience perceive a humorous relationship that is being addressed in an accepted way by the director. Therefore, through the assistance of Heckerling’s Clueless she has emphasised the clear contrast in nuptial expectations between her own and Austen’s time period. Texts and their adaptations are significant when comparing the paradigms in place in their respective time periods. Throughout history, there has been a drastic change of belief on the importance of marriage. When Frank Churchill, in Emma by Austen, finally announces his hidden engagement to Jane Fairfax, there is a considerable uproar for many reasons. Personally, to Emma, she felt deceived as she thought she was beginning to develop real feelings for Churchill. Although, to everyone else in the town, this engagement was seen as a scandal; particularly as he was seen as much worthier status and finance than his fiancé. Also, this kind of ‘reckless’ behaviour is accentuated by valued character, Mr Knightley, who comments with high modality, “This is very bad. He had induced her to place herself, for his sake, in a situation of extreme difficulty and uneasiness”. With this negative response from the Highbury community,
Gaining fresh, innovative insights that appeal to modern consciousness entails the adaption of a text to a contemporary contextual environment, and by comparing both Jane Austen’s Regency Era novel, Emma (1815), and Amy Heckerling’s postmodern American film, Clueless (1995), it is evident that the film has been re-appropriated in such a way that Austen’s voice is still heard today, while simultaneously projecting Heckerling’s views on present-day society. While both Emma and Clueless fall under similar timeless themes, such as the social hierarchy, the social values of marriage and patriarchal society, which contribute to the female bildungsroman of their main protagonist who both go through a process of being childish, ignorant and surrounded by misconception to maturing, the texts are moulded by differing contexts. Where Austen’s representation is shaped by the Regency Era conception of marriage which wasn’t for the purposes of genuine love but to maintain social status, Heckerling’s portrayal is derived from 1990s American teen culture of consumerism, materialism and superficiality and where marriage is represented as romantic in nature.
The value of literature delineates an opportunity for humanity to achieve collective growth. The intellectual capability of both individuals and communities are affected by the importance assigned to literary works. Lack of such regard results in a limited capacity for sociological cohesion consequently shaping the discourse of an era. Austen inadvertently expresses the minimal regard for written material in her society through Pride and Prejudice. The exclamation “there is no enjoyment like reading!” highlights the passion felt for such an activity. However, this desire can be attributed to discourse. Austen exhibits this through the cultural expectation that a woman “must have thorough knowledge”, furthered by the dialogue of gaining cognizance
Through a thorough awareness of the composer’s purpose, the reader becomes vastly more aware of the meaning behind the texts. A critical study of the subtle and obvious connections between Fay Weldon’s epistolary non-fiction text Letters to Alice and Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice allows responders to achieve an extensive understanding of how context shapes perspectives. The authors purpose in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, is to convey the ways in which pride and prejudice can blind someone from the truth. The composer’s purpose in Letters to Alice by Fay Weldon, however, is to connect to the audience through Alice and shape a greater understanding of the historical context and true meaning within the text Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. By an understanding of the composer’s purpose and connections between the text, readers are able to further understand and develop a deeper awareness of the meanings of the text.
The romantic era in literature was characterized by many different authors, male and female. Jane Austen was only one of many authors in that era, and one of the longest lasting; through her many novels, she shows various views on love and marriage. In Jane Austen’s critically acclaimed novel, Pride and Prejudice, Austen spares no character, male or female, in her criticism of the understood custom that the only route to happiness was marriage.
Austen also highlights society’s pressures in marriage as Charlotte Lucas most likely will not get another chance of marrying and cannot wait for love therefore this marriage is a business deal. Mr. Collins reaction to the refusal solidifies Austen’s portrait of this absurd character and of society’s prejudices. Finally Mr. Collins' comic inability to believe that Elizabeth could possibly be sincere in her recurring refusals illustrate what little respect he has for her and also the fact that this proposal is more of a business deal than a affirmation of love, in contrast Mr. Darcy’s feelings for Elizabeth are fervent.
During the time period of the 1800s in England, not only was the economic situation different but the social norms were differently. Jane Austen depicts this greatly in her novel pride and prejudice, not only was the social classes a big deal, but the marriage between families was a bigger deal. Throughout the novel many of the characters encounter this problem of, love in marriage or money in marriage, and many of the families and females within this time period choice money in marriage. The author Jane Austen feels that the idea of marring for money rather than love is preposterous and expresses this through the character Elizabeth
Mary Poovey’s “The True English Style” is an easy to follow analysis of the themes and philosophical difference between marriage and love, particularly in the regency era, from Jane Austen’s novel Emma. Immediately Poovey states her thesis which does away with a presentism reading and discuss social/moral issues in the era of Jane Austen also known as the regency era.
Mary Poovey’s “The True English Style” is an easy to follow analysis of the themes and philosophical difference between marriage and love, particularly in the Regency era, from Jane Austen’s novel Emma. Immediately Poovey states her thesis which does away with a presentism reading and discusses social/moral issues in the era of Jane Austen also known as the Regency era. Poovey has a conversational element to her writing, which makes her more complex ideas easier to digest in comparison to a more formal structure which would damage the essays efficiency to communicate. That said, even though her thesis is clean and comprehensible it never exclaims that she will be using Emma and her confrontations with characters as a conduit for her argument.
that she is humoured by the idea that every young an who has a large
Today marriage is seen as an expression of deep love and respect for another person. In Austen’s time, a ‘good’ marriage was seen to be one where wealth and social status of the man and woman were socially suitable. There was very
Examine Austen’s presentation of what is called in the novel, ‘women’s usual occupations of eye, and hand, and mind’. In Jane Austen’s society, the role of women was controlled by what was expected of them. In most cases, marriage was not for love, and was considered as a business arrangement, in which both partners could gain status and financial reassurance. Though Austen opposed the idea of none affectionate marriage, many
This article analyzes the way Austen portrays women in her novels. Kruger mentions that Jane Austen’s work is often deprived by the
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
Through the use of literary devices, Pride and Prejudice reveals Jane Austen’s attitude towards the novel’s theme of true love through the actions of the suitors; the process of courtship in the 1800s articulates characterization, foreshadowing, and irony. The novel opens with the line, “it is a truth acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of wife,” (Austen 1) which foreshadows the conflict of finding a significant other . During the Victorian age, men and women courted others of the same education, wealth, and social status; it was considered uncommon for someone to marry beneath them or to marry for love. Jane Austen uses Elizabeth Bennett’s encounters with different characters of varying
Marriage has no always been about the love and happiness two people bring eachother; instead it was concidered to be more of a business transaction. Emma by Jane Austen takes place during the early twentieth century, this time period was completly absorabed in social classes and had a much different view on marriage than today. Through the young, bold, wealthy, and beautiful character Emma Woodhouse, Jane Austen exposes the protocol of marriage as well as the effects marriage held based on social standing during the early twentieth centuery.