Transformation of Emma and Clueless

             Amy Heckerling has taken Jane Austen's classic 1815 novel 'Emma' and transformed it into the Post-Modern 1995 Hollywood film 'Clueless'. In doing so, Heckerling would have taken into account the context of which both stories are occurring in; 'Emma' in Regency England in Highbury and 'Clueless' in Beverly Hills, U.S.A. in the 1990's. To modernise and mirror certain events, characters such as Emma and Cher and themes like social values from 'Emma' into 'Clueless' Heckerling had to employ relevant filmatic techniques.
             Parallels in the storyline can also be found in the content, this amendment being highly obvious and at the same time very successful by the use of literary techniques. Austen uses third person omniscient narration to hold an ironic depiction of the character of Emma. A good example of this is in chapter 6 of the novel when Mr. Elton, due to his vanity and interest in Emma, offers to have the portrait that Emma drew of Harriet framed in London. The reader can see for themselves what Emma cannot see, hence making the narrative additionally amusing for the reader.
             Dramatic irony is also evident in 'Clueless' when Cher is taking photographs of the group and giving a copy of the photo of Tai to Elton, which he then puts up in his locker. In this particular scene Heckerling uses soundtrack to convey meaning and to suit the audience of the film. The song 'Alright' performed by British group Supergrass is played while Cher is taking the photographs. The beat of the song in addition to the words of the song, for example "We are young. We run free" also help in creating a deeper understanding and standpoint of the characters and the social values that they consider important. At the same time the viewer of the film see through Cher's perspective as she is looking through the camera lens. This filmatic technique gets the audience involved in the film.
             In chapter 47 of the novel, deception is a key theme as Emma is secre...

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Transformation of Emma and Clueless. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 01:18, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/26252.html