Comparing Clueless and Emma essay help writer Creative Writing coursework help

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 etting and the diverse social values, lifestyles, and issues than those depicted in Emma, Amy Heckerlings high school setting retains and is faithful to many of the characteristics exhibited by the characters and society found in Highbury. Evidence of this is clearly illustrated in examining the many parallels in terms of social class/ groups, characterizations, events, plot, and the importance of themes such as relationships, and the process of growth leading to self-awareness in both the novel Emma and the film, Clueless.

As the transformed and transported Highbury, the modern high school in Clueless s inhabited by a younger cast that the characters in Emma. However, the high school exhibits a parallel concept of class structure and all it entails, as those found in Highbury. Highburys social structure is presented from the perspective of the upper middle class English society, primarily through perceptions of Austen’s female protagonist Emma and in her daily actions and interactions with the rest of the characters, and Austen’s use of free indirect discourse.

The high school’s social structure is similarly presented in Clueless but through Heckerlings female rotagonist Cher and Heckerlings use of the voiceover. Highbury and Broson Alcott high school are both small self-contained societies that exhibit varying but rigid hierarchys which have great impact on the daily life of its’ characters. Traditionally, Highburys society is a rigid hierarchical class structure based importantly from lineage and gentleman-landowner, followed by “traditional professionals” such as doctors, and Mr.

Elton (the vicar), and military officers (Colonel Campbell and Captian Weston), tradespeople come next (upwardly mobile Coles, and the Fords) while tenant armers (Robert Martin) are slightly above the hired servants, and the poor (gypsies) are at the bottom. Class standing or social rank in Emma’s Highbury is extremely important as it dictates marriage opportunities, social interactions and codes of behaviour. Attempting to rise above one’s class is only truly attainable through marriage.

Highburys inhabitants examine marriage in terms of “inequality of fortune”(179) or a little “disparity in age”(179) but the aim is always to better oneself by marrying in a better or like class. It is not prudent to marry below own class. Mr. Weston did both. First he married to better himself, which backfired, since his wife spent most of his money. Miss Taylor, his second wife and Emma’s former governess, was below his rank. Therefore, Miss Taylor has made a good marriage with an upward change in status. Accumulating wealth to better ones rank takes generations to gain acceptance, as it did Mr.

Weston. The Coles are grudgedly being tolerated profitable route to take to cross the great division of classes in Highbury. Each class in Highburys society is expected to adhere to specific codes of behaviour according to their status. Since the focus of Emma is on the upper class, they have a moral responsibility to be of service to those less fortunate. As a gentleman and the moral voice in the story, Mr. George Knightly takes care of the Bates by giving them bushels of apples and making his carriage available to them. He saves Harriet from embarrassment and dances with her at the ball after Mr.

Elton snubs her. He advises Robert Martin, his tenant and farmer, on the subject of proposing to Harriet, and he also pressures and shames Emma into acknowledging her moral obligations as befits her status in the community. Although Highburys residents show much regard for decorum, gossip is an inherent characteristic in both Highbury (xvi) and Bronson Alcott High School as means of spreading news, knowledge, and in criticizing. In Highbury everyone knows everyone else’s affairs, even that the Perrys are speculating about buying a carriage.

When Frank goes all the way to London for a haircut he is considered a “fop”. The prevalence of gossip is also evident in the everyday life of Bronson Alcott, Cher is able to give specific information about Christian’s parents’ joint custody although she has not met him. Later Cher gossips about the reputations of the various social groups sitting around the school. Both the novel Emma and the film Clueless reflect the societies of their times and use the acceptable forms of language for their settings.

In Emma the characters use the expected for formal language in their direct and indirect speeches. Harriett addresses her friend as “Dear Miss Woodhouse,” and Mrs. Elton shocks everyone saying “Jane” and “Knight” without appropriate titles. In Clueless however, Cher, her father and Josh speak in informal everyday language most of the other speech is in slang, “whatever” or eferring to attractive guys as a “Baldwin” and pretty girls as a “Betty. ” Satire and irony provide then humour in both the novel and film.

On the surface the society portrayed in Bronson Alcott High School bears no resemblance to Austen’s lackluster description of Highbury as Emma looks down the street from Ford’s shop as she tries to relieve some of her boredom, “much could not be hoped from the traffic of even the busiest part of Highbury’ (183). Meanwhile Clueless opens with a bright crowded, fast-moving montage of Cher and her friends shopping, swimming and riving around in a Jeep, since she needs “something to learn in” (Amy Heckerling).

Whereas Highbury values social status, a good marriage, proper manners and social conventions, the affluent society values consumerism, fashion, money and popularity. The groups are based on neither wealth nor lineage but on behaviour, the “Persian mafia” are students who own BMW’s, the “loadies” are students who are potheads. Cher tells Tai the “Crew’ are the only high school boys that Cher deems acceptable for Tai to date. Movement between, or in and out of the group is more readily accessible than in Highburys class structure.

By the end of the film Travis, a former “loadie”, is only deemed acceptable for Tai to date after he quit smoking marijuana and Joined a twelve steps program. Unlike Highbury, the school grouping do not dictate status in society. Mel, Cher’s father, personifies success in Beverly Hills society. Commanding five hundred dollars an hour as a litigation lawyer guarantees him social status and respect. Cher is spoiled an excessive lifestyle – a cell phone, computerized wardrobe closet that helps her pick her outfits, replacing the handmade gowns.

Mel’s money provides Cher with her affluent status as Emma’s ather provided her with lineage and wealth to ensure her elite status. Values at Bronson Alcott High School differ from those in Highburys society, most notable in regards to sex and virginity. Whereas Emma’s community held reputations and propriety in very high esteem, the opposite is found in the Beverly Hills high school. Dionne argues with Murray about the “cheap K-mart hair extension” found in the back seat of his car, and accuses him of having an affair, in front of other students.

She becomes more upset that Murray would think she would wear “cheap polyester” hair, rather than that he was cheating on her. Contrary to prevalent sexual practices, Cher plans to remain a virgin until she meets the “right guy’. Rather than being commended she is excluded from a discussion between Dionne and Tat, and is later put down as “a virgin who can’t drive” (Amy Heckerling). This varies greatly with the concern Mr. Knightly showed when he thought Emma’s feelings and reputation might have been compromised after finding Frank Churchill was engaged to Jane Fairfax.

Besides teenage sex, another departure from Highburys societal values is Highburys reference to teenage drinking and drugs. Mel asks Christian if he drinks and Christian answers “no thanks,” without any clue that her father was threatening Christian. Both societies show real signs of morale decay when characters in both Highbury and Bronson Alcott become victims within their own society. In Highbury, Harriett is threatened by gypsies and rescued by Frank Churchill. In Clueless, Cher is robbed at gunpoint and Tai is attacked by a group of boys at the mall.

The incidents illustrate that both societies have respective unsuspected dangers for naive young women, their characteristic are detrimental for both societies morale? Heckerlings ortrayal of Cher virtues as well as her flaws, and parallel characters and situations in Emma the overall essence of Highbury is maintained. Heckerling is able to mock the values of the modern society she represents using a light and teasing manner and she gives it the happy ending as was depicted in Emma.

Austen’s Emma is portrayed as spoiled, superior, arrogant, and manipulative, flaws Austen shows as improper in those of the upper class. Heckerling depicts Cher as a younger version of Emma, living in a more liberated and accepting society with few obligations or responsibilities. Through mishaps and unexplained incidents and surprises, Emma and Cher both evolve from self-delusional states to one perception and self- knowledge.

Cher and Emma share a common background as motherless children, of over- indulgent father’s and have parallel relationships with other characters in the storyline which lead them to form misconceptions and act on them. Emma’s flaw is that she is wildly imaginative. In her naivety, Emma believes that she can control people and that her imaginings are reality. She believes that she is responsible for matchmaking Mrs. and Mr. Weston, and quickly plan to match up Mr. Elton the vicar 12).

In Clueless, Heckerling changes the geographical, historical and social setting, and appropriates the storyline, characters, events, and themes portrayed in Jane Austen’s examine the societal values, norms and issues of the twentieth century Beverly Highs High School. In spite of the differences between the two stories, the film Clueless retains the fundamental nature of the characters and is faithful to many of the characteristics found in Jane Austen’s English country village of Highbury.