Similarities Between Emma And Clueless

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Emma Essay The values that shape the form and meaning of any text are reflections of their respective contexts. This notion is explored through the comparison of Jane Austen’s Emma (1815) and Amy Heckerling’s appropriation, Clueless (1995). While distinct parallels may be drawn between Clueless and Emma, Regency values of class, social mobility and courtship are altered in Clueless to reflect the liberal nature of 1990’s America. Austen’s Emma reflects the rigidity of social hierarchy with stringent notions of class determined by lineage and inheritance, which limits social mobility of individuals in Regency England. The contextual value of class as inherited status and wealth portrayed by the juxtaposition of the cumulative listing of the…show more content…
Heckerling caters to the radical social and cultural changes from conservative Regency England to a much more liberal late 20th century American society by shifting the emphasis from Regency determinants of class as inherited wealth to modern values of beauty and appearance. For instance the close up shot of Cher’s mother’s painted portrait juxtaposed with Cher’s voiceover explaining that her mother “died in a freak accident during a routine liposuction” highlights the modern social fixation and emphasis on beauty. The extreme close ups of Cher applying makeup and Amber’s excuse her “plastic surgeon” did not want her playing tennis because of her “nose job” satirises the ludicrous significance of superficial façade in determining social status in 90’s America. Social mobility in the American society is also far more permissible and accepted than in Regency England, as class could now be achieved through a transformation of appearance where it once had to be inherited. This appropriation of Regency values is reflected by Tai’s dramatic status improvement after her “makeover”, emphasised by a panning camera over the school cafeteria revealing vector lines created by students leaning toward the central figure of Tai. This highlights the marked evolution in social values, whereby status which was once only inherited, could now be earned. Through the contextual shift from the stringent societal values of the 19th century to a superficial consumerist driven 20th century society, both Austen and Heckerling demonstrate the importance of social values in determining class in their respective
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