EMMA AND CLUELESS Transformation incorporates the adaptation of a text to a new medium, audience or time. There are four distinct areas of transformation from Emma to Clueless. These are values, morals and ideals, themes, the narrator and literary techniques and devices. The transformation helps us relate to modern day societies and is a demonstration of the complexity of human relationships and how characters are gradually transformed. The transformation has maintained the integrity of Emma whilst communicating it a different way. Through the transformation of Emma to Clueless we gain an understanding of the CONTEXT, which each text was created. For example, the values of each century change. 19thC England focuses on social status, marriage, wealth, education and social etiquette. In contrast, 20thC Beverley Hills focuses on sex before marriage, homosexuality, different races and drug use. These changes relate to our current society, the overt 90’s culture. For example, we gain the acceptance of minority groups i.e. Dione being African American yet she “knows what its like to have people be jealous of her” and her best friend is a Caucasian girl – Cher. Christian, being the “homosexual cake boy” indicates the acceptance of homosexuals. The contrast in pastimes of characters in both Emma and Clueless indicates social change. Austen contrasts expensive cars in Clueless with carriages in Emma, marijuana with malt liquor, a photograph of Tai with a portrait of Harriet, shopping, skateboarding and watching television with walks, visiting friends, backgammon and needlework. These symbols of society and social strata have been transformed to adapt to a modern society. The change in values helps us gain the knowledge that values are the main influence over culture and changing values change aspects of culture. As we have lost the values of 19thC Highbury we have still gained the knowledge that many of the issues in Emma are still the same 180 years on. The transformation has resulted in a modernised film in which the thematic concerns of Emma have been integrated. Deception, social structure, self-discovery, the pursuit of love, pride, happiness from others failure/humiliation, the role of women in society and the tole of the paternal figure are all themes which have been maintained. The transformation illustrates the fact that class systems remain over the past century. In Emma we see her saying she will transform Harriet for the better “Take notice of her, improve her, detach her from any bad acquaintance and introduce her to a good society.” Cher saying she will do the same for Tai “I’m taking that lost soul in their and making her well-dressed and popular, her life will be better because of me”. This shows us that Emma and Cher aren’t helping these people out of the goodness of their heart but to feed their ego and pride. We see the protagonist in Clueless having an overt sexuality which is somewhat missing in Highbury. This is because 20thC LA is a place where what one wears determines wear they fit in. For example, we see the shallowness of Cher’s world when Dione says “Cher’s main thrill in life is a makeover… it gives her a sense of control in a world full of chaos”. From the transformation of Emma to Clueless we lose the distant narrator in Emma who mercilessly attacks her and satirises the social conventions that nurture her. This is illustrated when the omniscient narrator says “The real evils indeed of Emma’s situation were the power of having rather too much her own way and a disposition to think a little too well of herself.” We gain a more humorous piece from the transformation of Emma to Clueless. Amy Heckerling stretches reality through exaggeration and she takes the irony of Emma a step further. This is seen through the high language of the film, the exaggerated wealth and fashion stakes and the colourful, bright and energetic frames of Clueless. The audience laughs at Cher when she realises her love for Josh
In the novel, Emma, Austen critiques the arrogant nature of elite groups that function in a rigidly defined society, governed by wealth and superficial values. Set in Regency England in the small town of Highbury, the composer explores the hierarchical class system and how social status was determined by a combination of family background, reputation and wealth. Emma is established as the embodiment of these respectable cultural values, subsequent of her father’s gentry, and their landownership.…
Sandra M. Velez Dr. Hidle English 201 17 July 2014 “She Could Be a Farmer in Those Clothes”: The Marxist Theory Representation within the Film Clueless Wouldn't we all like to be as wealthy as a couple like Beyoncé and Jay-Z? Almost everyone you encounter today would have the same answer for that question; we all want to be wealthy, and successful. In the 19th century, Karl Marx was the first to introduce the theory about class divide to the world. He spoke of the bourgeoisie and proletariat being…
Movie Review History 203 The Help The movie starts out in Civil-Rights era Jackson, Mississippi where aspiring author Eugenia Phelan (Emma Stone) returns home from Ole Miss where she had recently graduated. She sees how bad the African American community is being treated and is very upset. She knew it was bad because she had the same African American “help” her whole life, whom she loved very much. She was also troubled…
Kacey Gruber Chem 2 10/6/14 J.J Thomson Discovery of the Electron Joseph John Thomson also known as J.J Thomson was born December 18, 1856 in Cheetham, Manchester and died August 30, 1954. J.J. Thomson was the son of Emma Thomson and Joseph James Thomson , an antic bookseller and publisher. At age fourteen, Thomson attended Owen college where he studied engineering, mathematics, physics and chemistry. In 1876 he enrolled in Trinity college, in Cambridge, receiving a scholarship for math…
extent: you need to assess: a little, a lot Your: personal: I, setting up thesis and response to question subjective, analysis is objective e.g. while I initially scoffed at the idea that idea that a teen flick like Clueless could be revamped from a great canonical text like Emma, on closer examination, I found that it brought a canonical new text. Medium and purpose of both texts, how does medium enhance meaning for the composer & responder -> one a poem, suits the times etc, appeals to intellectuals…
Cuban missile crisis could be predicted. Can all catastrophes be prevented? Maneuvering to president Bush during 9/11 that demonstrated the inquiry, shows history of inhuman events from the same culprits in 9/11. The preponderance of Americans were clueless about Al Qaeda, but the government had knowledge that “Al Qaeda was a fundamentalist Islamic terror network hosted and supported by the Taliban Government in Afghanistan” (Bush 134). Why it was not predicted? CIA only engrossed in activity overseas…