The transformation of Emma to Clueless

Jane Austen is concerned with women’s place in society, with the choices available to them and with striking a balance between those choices and the individual integrity, independence and equality. Women in Austen’s day derived their identity, their social importance and their security from their r

In Heckerling’s Clueless, the value of image and popularity is much stronger than in Austen’s original text. In the 20th century, culture and class was defined by a person’s image and their status in their society. Simply the word ‘popular’ is continuously referred to in the film, emphasising its importance at this time. As soon as Tai is rejected by Elton, she assumes “it’s my hips”, this is commenting on the only reason people are rejected is because they do not fit the correct image. Cher is a physical representation of a stereotypical beauty, she has no physical flaws, this shows that being popular is heavily based on appearances. “She’s my friend because we both know what it’s like to have friends who are jealous of us”, Cher’s popularity excels her above others, and image is used to define the cliques at her school. The music in Clueless also heavily contributes to the idea of the mass conformity of society, “where everyone will wanna look just like me”, in 20th century society everybody tries to fit the same image, in a hope that it will rise their own popularity. In Emma the attitude towards each other is based on class, in Clueless this attitude has been transformed so it is now based on appearances, this is continually demonstrated through visuals and dialogue, “she could be a farmer in those clothes.” Heckerling, shows the enormous importance of image in society when even Cher assumes that she has been rejected by Christian because of the way she looks, “I don’t get it. Did my hair get flat? Did I stumble into some bad lighting?”, once again Heckerling highlights that everything is to do with image. In the film Clueless the value of image is much more exaggerated than in Austen’s original text The structure of class divisions has now become more defined because of an individual’s popularity, which is now primarily based on their popularity and image.

In ‘Emma’, Austen is depicting a highly stratified, insular society. Highbury becomes a microcosm of the wider social structure and this gives broader significance to Austen’s concerns. Austen’s sense of class distinctions is not snobbery on her behalf, but part of her observation and her grasp of the structure of social as well as of personal relationships. Austen continuously conveys to the reader this clear and defined social hierarchy through dialogue, brief descriptions and irony. Austen’s view, is clearly shown through Mr Knightley’s eyes, “and as for Harriet, I will venture to say that she cannot gain by the acquaintance. Hartfield will only put her out of conceit with all the other places she belongs to. She will grow just refined enough to be uncomfortable with those among whom birth and circumstances have placed her home.”, this shows that every person living in 19th century English society were born into a particular class, and that they must remain there. People in the 19th century were not permitted to marry between classes either, this is demonstrated with the relationship between Mr Elton and Harriet, “Everybody has their level: but as for myself, I am not, I think, quite so much at a loss. I need not so totally despair of an equal alliance, as to be addressing myself to Miss Smith!” At the conclusion of the novel, the relationship between Emma and Harriet must diminish because of their social classes in which they have ended up in. “The intimacy between her and Emma must sink; their friendship must change into a calmer sort of goodwill; and, fortunately, what ought to be, and must be, seemed already beginning, and the most gradual, natural manner”. I

Some topics in this essay:
Dion Murray, Heckerling’s Clueless, Miss Taylor, Austen’s Emma, Emma Harriet, Clueless Cher, Dion Christian, Josh Cher, Harriet Harriet, Austen Heckerling, 19th century, 20th century, century society, century english society, english society, clueless cher, throughout novel, century english, role women, 21st century, 19th century english, austen’s universality heckerling, misreads situation, austen’s original text, 20th century society,