Emma Changing Contexts

Nineteenth century regency England, a time in which social more were highly regarded, matrimony was fundamental, and Jane Austen's novel 'Emma' was written. Austen's writings, particularly Emma, explored social mores (including the roles of women), values and their reflection onto society within her time frame.

This contrasts the twentieth century 'Clueless', an aesthetic replay of nineteenth century 'Emma', too conveyed social attitudes held within society. 'Clueless' in contrary to 'Emma', took place in a contemporary nineties high school located in Beverly Hills, which the protagonist attends. 'Emma' titled after the protagonist, lives in an English estate.

Books were the main form of entertainment as film had not been introduced. Hecklerling chose and utilised an option which was most popular, a film. Film holds common elements of a book such as setting, context, narration, dialogue, although the visual allows the director to introduce cinematography. The incorporation of camera techniques, visual effects, voice over narration, and acting allow for the text to be manipulated.

Considering the change of mediums, how are changing values reflected in changing contexts? In order for 'change' to occur a transformation must be undertaken. Transformation of text is the appropriation (re purposing) of context of a text, while maintaining the initial values to suit a contemporary audience, values being gender, class, marriage, sexual orientation, expression, et etcetera. Avant garde themes are to be adapted to appeal to contemporary audiences. To exemplify this, the use of contemporary media to address the audiences needs, times, circumstances, locations, and values.

To demonstrate change a parallel is presented. Beverly Hills to Highbury, car to carriage, party to picnic, photography to portraiture and quite obviously Cher to Emma. Essentially, values have remained very alike, however context has changed due to time. The juxtaposition of comparatives allows the audience to perceive change and gain insight into the texts Austen's 'Emma' and Heckerling's 'Clueless'. If these comparatives were absent we would not be able to understand Emma, because of differences in language, attitudes, mores, the result of time.

Emma and Cher are very similar in essence, they both belong to individual ideologies of their eras. An ideology is a set of ideas that form goals, expectations and actions (a 'vision').

Cher a beautiful blonde haired teenager, belongs to the high-class elitest class of the nineties 'consumerist' ideology. She's materialistic and superficial, which is exemplified by her love for fashion and calls shopping a 'release'. The premise of the movie is of Cher's journey into self-actualisation. Through trials and tribulations

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