„Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existance; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.“ (Austen, p.5)
„Cher: 'Okay, so you're probably going, "Is this like a Noxema-commercial or what?" But seriously, I actually have a way normal life for a teenage girl.'“ (Clueless)
Some things don't ever seem to change: whether it is England in 1816 or Holly¬wood in 1995, the stories of Emma Woodhouse and Cher Horowitz have a lot in common. Of course, the first one was written as a novel by Jane Austen and the other one is a movie directed by Amy Heckerling, one takes place in Highbury around the landed gentry of 19th century England and the other one is set in 1990's Beverly Hills, but when you take a closer look, the similarities are stunning. Even though it never was officially credited, it is clear that „Clueless“ is a contemporary adaption, or as Lesley Stern chose to call it, an update, of Austen's „Emma“. In the same time, it is the first one released during the 1990's, being followed by no less than ten different adaptations of Austen's work, amongst them Ang Lee's „Sense and Sensibility“ (1995 as well), the BBC-miniseries of „Pride and Prejudice“ (1995), two other versions of „Emma“ (both 1996) and the latest Hollywoos-success with Keira Knightly, „Pride and Prejudice“ (2005). This „Austen-movie-trend“ does not seem to stop – the Internet Movie Database names two tv-productions already completed for 2007 and another three (one Bollywood- and two tvproductions) being in production. But what is it that makes Austen's six novels, and especially three of them, so popular as draft for screenplays, for visual adaptations? On the following pages, I will take a closer look at the the update of „Emma“, Amy Heckerling's „Clueless“.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Updating Highbury
3. What's happening here? – A Twin Peaks-experience
4. Playing hide and seek, or: who is who?
5. In power? - Cher's loss of control
6. As if!!! Issues of class and social status
6.1 Dressed for success – on Alaias and backwards-caps
6.2 Well, so, whatever – talking like grown-ups
7. What's so funny? – Narrating a comedy
8. Don't you know who my parents are? – Parentage in Clueless
9. And in conclusion...
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines how Amy Heckerling’s 1995 film "Clueless" functions as a contemporary update of Jane Austen’s novel "Emma," analyzing the narrative and stylistic transformations required to translate 19th-century social dynamics into a 1990s Beverly Hills setting.
- Comparison of literary source material and cinematic adaptation
- Role of genre conventions in the "teenage-movie" subgenre
- Methods of character re-creation and intertextual referencing
- Representation of social class and status through fashion and language
- Use of irony, voice-over, and music to replace traditional literary narration
Excerpt from the Book
3. What's happening here? – A Twin Peaks-experience
„I had this character in my head, the girl [...]. But I needed a strong plot and I had read Emma in college. I read it again and said, [...] this is just the perfect structure for what this girl should go through. [...] It was all there in Jane Austen.“ (Heckerling, p.2).
Phillips and Heal suggest in their essay the term „alphabet puzzle approach“ (Phillips/Heal p.3) for the result of Heckerling's work with „Emma“, a term to which I agree very much. „Events in the story are divided up and rearranged in a kind of image anagram for the Emma-familiar viewer to solve“ (Phillips/Heal p.3), or, to use Cher's own words: we have a Twin Peaks-experience. To find familiar scenes and events, it is necessary to depart with the familiar straight storyline and search a bit deeper under the surface of Story and Plot.
A wedding takes place, not in the beginning, but at the end of the movie. It is the result of Cher's matchmaking, not her own one (after all, as she says, she is only 16 and they live in California, not Kentucky). The party at Randalls takes place as a party in Sun Valley, and the ball at the Crown as a party organized by Josh's old friends. Tai, the Harriet-character, goes through a dreadfull experience, not with gypsies, but still with two weird guys at the mall.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The chapter sets the stage for comparing Jane Austen's novel "Emma" with Amy Heckerling’s film adaptation "Clueless," questioning how the film maintains the essence of the original story in a modern context.
2. Updating Highbury: This section explores how "Clueless" uses the teen-comedy genre and the setting of 1990s Beverly Hills to replicate the social atmosphere of Highbury.
3. What's happening here? – A Twin Peaks-experience: The chapter analyzes the film's "alphabet puzzle" narrative structure, which rearranges familiar plot elements from "Emma" into a new cinematic order.
4. Playing hide and seek, or: who is who?: This chapter investigates how characters from the novel are reimagined and combined into new roles that suit the 90s teenage environment.
5. In power? - Cher's loss of control: The author examines the central theme of control, focusing on Cher Horowitz’s attempts to manipulate her world and the consequences of her failed matchmaking.
6. As if!!! Issues of class and social status: This chapter analyzes how class barriers are maintained or broken down in the film, distinct from the rigid conventions of 18th-century England.
6.1 Dressed for success – on Alaias and backwards-caps: An examination of how fashion and brand culture serve as markers of identity, propriety, and social standing for the teenage characters.
6.2 Well, so, whatever – talking like grown-ups: A look at how language and slang function as tools for social inclusion and character development within the film.
7. What's so funny? – Narrating a comedy: This chapter discusses the film’s use of voice-over, music, and ironic framing to replace the third-person narrator found in Austen’s original work.
8. Don't you know who my parents are? – Parentage in Clueless: The section explores the recurring theme of parentage and the film's extensive web of intertextual references to other media.
9. And in conclusion...: The final chapter summarizes the findings, arguing that the film is a successful adaptation that uses contemporary twists to keep the spirit of "Emma" relevant for new audiences.
Keywords
Jane Austen, Clueless, Emma, Amy Heckerling, film adaptation, teenage-movie, narrative structure, social class, intertextuality, character analysis, irony, voice-over, Beverly Hills, pop culture, matchmaking
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper explores the structural and thematic parallels between Jane Austen’s novel "Emma" and the 1995 film "Clueless," analyzing how the film adapts the 19th-century story for a modern teenage audience.
What are the central themes explored?
The central themes include the translation of social class conventions into a 1990s high school setting, the dynamics of power and control, the evolution of characters, and the use of fashion and language as social markers.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate how "Clueless" functions as a truthful yet modern update of "Emma," specifically focusing on how Heckerling maintains the original's essence while employing new narrative and audiovisual devices.
What methodology is used?
The author uses a comparative, analytical approach, examining the film’s narrative structure, character roles, soundtrack, and visual aesthetics against the backdrop of Austen's novel and relevant film theory.
What does the main body cover?
The main body covers the "alphabet puzzle" narrative approach, the adaptation of characters, the role of clothing and language in defining social status, and the use of ironic devices like voice-over to replace literary narration.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include film adaptation, intertextuality, social class, narrative structure, irony, and the comparison between Jane Austen’s "Emma" and Amy Heckerling’s "Clueless."
How does the film treat the social class system compared to the book?
While the book is rooted in 18th-century class structures defined by money and birth, the film translates these into a modern "hidden class-system" based on fashion, behavioral polish, and social belonging in Beverly Hills.
Why does the author consider "Clueless" an "alphabet puzzle"?
The term "alphabet puzzle approach" refers to the way Heckerling takes familiar events and characters from "Emma," strips them of their original settings, and rearranges them as an "image anagram" for viewers familiar with the novel.
How does the musical soundtrack enhance the comedy?
The music creates an ironic gap between the characters' actions and the lyrical content of the songs, often emphasizing the absurdity of situations or exposing the characters' internal misjudgments.
- Quote paper
- Lena Ostermann (Author), 2007, Updating Emma: Clueless, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/87530
