Amy Heckerling’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma” has transformed a 19th century classic English novel into a teen flick romcom film of the 20th century entitled “Clueless”. Despite the vastly different historical settings and societal values of the two texts, Amy Heckerling’s “Clueless” still retains the essential values of the original text by adapting these values into a modern society of our time and a modern audience of our age. Comparatively through the themes of class and social structure and the attitudes towards love and marriage, a greater insight can be gained of the context in which it appropriates further enhanced by the use of satire and irony employed by both composers. “Emma” by Jane Austen was written in the Regency period of the 1800s; a time of inequality as it featured a wide gap between the rich and the poor while at the same time a rise in the merchant middle class. In response to this context, Austen tends to satirise the common source of power by creating a microcosmic world of a genteel community evolving round a “handsome, clever and rich” young woman who "seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence."
Comparison between Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four and Radford’s film adaptation. (Question 6a) Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four is classic dystopian novel, often considered ‘surely one of the best novels of the century’ (Kellner, 1984) and Radford’s film adaptation seeks to embody the concepts of human morality and the dangers of control that the novel, in my opinion, highlights. The chosen extract for comparison from the novel is the moment in which Winston and Julia meet in secret and sleep together for the first time. [Appendix A] The extract is particularly important as it not only shows their rejection of society’s constraints, but also questions human nature and the way one (in this case, Winston) reacts to such extreme restrictions. The way in which it was adapted into a scene within a film would therefore have had to been intense and moving to truly capture the essence of the point being made.
How has the study of Emma and its appropriate clueless developed your understanding of how context influenced values? -Select at least 2 significant moments of Austen’s Emma and analyse how these moments are considered in order to create meaning in Heckerling’s Clueless. In your response focus on ideas, context, values and language. Heckerling’s Clueless (1995) is transformed through Austen’s 19th Century novel, Emma, where the plot and characters have been transformed to suit Heckerling’s context and contemporary audience. Despite the shift in context from 19th century England to late 20th century Beverly Hills, Austen’s main plot and ideas have been retained to a great degree.
mankind’s experience of evil, experience of guilt and separation. • Psychological study of typically romantic characters, e.g. Victor, Walton, Clerval… • The ‘monster’ himself has been studied in connection with Rousseau’s theory of man’s natural goodness perverted by a hostile environment. • A sociological approach to the novel stresses its importance as a social document, giving evidence of a woman’s role /family ties/ education, etc.. in the first decades of the 19th century. • Feminist critics are especially interested in issues concerning women’s culture.
The book firmly projects the patriarchal society as the context: “A young woman, if she falls into bad hands may be teased…but one cannot comprehend a young man’s being under such restraint.” This language, although satirical reaffirms a main attitude existent in the context of Regency England. Austen uses the novel's protagonist Emma as a manager of self-determination and although she is a part of high society, she is delicately able through Austen’s narrative, to resist traditional gender roles and concerns. Emma proudly states, when refusing Mr. Elton’s proposal: “I have very little intention of ever marrying at all”, showing her dominant stance yet she is still somewhat a woman of her context as the novel results in her marrying of Mr. Knightley. This reaffirms the fundamental reality of patriarchy as although Emma forms her own opinion, she
Emma vs. Clueless Essay 1.1 “In what way have the changing values and attitudes of different times been shown by the study of your two texts?” At different periods of time human society has been recorded to value certain qualities and behaviours over others, this is evident in art, music and literatures. By observing the similarities and differences of two novels belonging to periods, with the difference of a century’s time between them, we are given a perfect example of this alteration in values and attitudes. In Emma Jane Austen challenges the values of the Regency period’s strict social hierarchy and the attitudes of the “higher class” verses the “lower class.” She also reflects the roles of woman and their minor role in 19th century English society, when compared to men of ‘equal’ birth and wealth, and the importance of a “good match” when entering into the matrimonial state. In Hecherling’s Clueless we are also faced with a class structure, though it appears to be more fluid and easily manipulated or overcome by the use of money. In 20th century America the reasons and importance on marriage for both women and men has clearly changed and it is no longer necessary to be settled early and therefore couples are free to marry for life.
Weldon contextualises Austen’s world, positioning the contemporary reader to sympathise with the plight of women regards to marriage during the regency period. Weldon creatively reshapes the contemporary responders understanding and appreciation of the value of love in Pride and Prejudice. Weldon informs the responder of employment opportunities in Austen’s time, “a chimney sweep…a butcher….or a prostitute…or you could marry.” The listing of these grim opportunities along with the dichotomy of statistic heightens the responder’s attitude of the social benefits of marriage.
Jennifer Price’s The Plastic Pink Flamingo Rhetorical Analysis Bright, florescent, pink, plastic, and an icon of the “banging fifties”; the pink flamingo symbolizes more than just a flashy lawn ordainment. Jennifer Price’s The Plastic Pink Flamingo is brilliantly structured to connect her reader to her opinion of the United States culture. Price argues that all over America there’s a constant pressure for people to express themselves through buying and investing. With the help of clever yet accurately worded descriptions of a crucial corner stone in American culture, and by exemplifying a catchy icon like the pink flamingo, Price conveys that the individualistic persona of America, and the popular culture influence on working and middle classes to buy and consume were prominently inspired by the 50’s era. Although Price’s essay is fleeting, its audience will surely grasp a good idea of how she views American culture.
Jane Austen’s nineteenth century novel ‘Emma’ (1815) is ingeniously reshaped into a film written and directed by Amy Heckerling called ‘Clueless’ (1995). Although both texts span 200 years the significant values from the original text are still maintained through the transformation, suited for a more contemporary audience. The folly of making prejudicial judgements and the journey to self realisation leading to growth and development are developed in parallel through both texts. ‘Emma’ is set amongst the rural gentry in England, in the fictional town of Highbury, where the importance of social class and values are fondly recognised within the community. The opening sentence “Emma Woodhouse handsome, clever and rich... seemed to unite some
Erdem Alagöz Research Techniques 29 May 2009 Adam Knows Too Much, Eve Knows That Adam Knew Too Much Tania Modleski considers Hitchcock’s films as the center of the appearance of feminist film theory and of the usage of feminist film criticism in her book The Women Who Knew Too Much: Hitchcock and Feminist Theory. She also addresses Laura Mulvey’s essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” as the leading source of psychoanalytic feminist film Alagöz 2 Rear Window shows the importance of the roles of men and women. Jeff is afraid of being in a deep relationship with Lisa because of her being excellent and “too feminine.” He sees her as a threat to his manly profession and can’t accept both as a whole. It looks as if Jeff and Lisa will give an end to their relationship for the long part of the film; however Lisa is determined to endure for it. Jeff’s approach to Lisa completely changes only after she starts to be more reckless, brave, and masculine.