Comparative analysis on Jane Austen's Novel Emma and Amy Heckerling's clueless

In the transformation of Jane Austen's Novel Emma to Amy Heckerling's post-modern 'teen-flick' Clueless, the universal themes have been adapted to suit a wider modern audience. It is through studying the process of transformation that we can compare the characterisation and examine the composer's social commentary on their context. This leads not only to a greater appreciation of both texts but also demands a reassessment of values. Emma depicts life in Highbury, a microcosm of …

…down. Both Emma and Clueless portray the character reformation of the heroine who finally recognises her 'insufferable vanity' and 'unpardonable arrogance' to become a mature and sensitive young woman. It is only through the humiliation of a series of blunders that the two protagonists can raise their moral status. By reading Emma through the lens of the contemporary genre of film, we are able to explore the different values that are present in both texts.