Similarities Between Emma And Clueless

Values are standards of behaviour and include what society considers being acceptable and what is not.

Jane Austen’s prose novel ‘Emma’ and Amy Heckerling’s contemporised version ‘Clueless’, share common values although they are reflected in changing contexts.

Throughout Austen’s novel, Emma demonstrates different qualities that her particular society valued. These include morality and charity, as well as marriage.

Marriage is central to most of Jane Austen’s novels as she sees that it is the foundation of a stable continuum. Emma is no different, as it too involves young people in pursuit of a life partner.

In Austen’s society, marriage was a way to secure property, wealth and class, yet Emma is one of the few, lucky enough to be free of

financial concerns, unlike most of Austen’s other heroines and supporting female characters in the novels that, to a certain degree, need marriage to survive. Miss Bates, Jane Fairfax and Harriet Smith all highlight the difficulties facing women without financial independence. Emma however expresses no interest or desire to marry early in the novel as her fortune assures her of independence and security and she has a somewhat naive view of the idea of marriage and love. It is only at the end of the novel that Emma becomes a more romantic heroine as she realises her feelings for Mr Knightley, who is a convenient suit considering their equal social class. Emma’s newfound love will also not interfere with her independence.
Clueless also explores the value of marriage, however due to a more modernised context, marriage does not have the same position in society as it once did.

As context has shifted, due to women's liberation movements, marriage is no longer a necessity, but fundamentally still remains a desirable construct for women. This shift has also caused a slight alter in the values being represented in the two texts. Instead of simply focusing on marriage, Heckerling focuses on dating, sex and relationships in Clueless. While women in Emma search for marriage that will provide them with social stability, women in clueless instead search for the sexual connection that will provide equivalent social

stability.
Virginity assumes a new importance in the modern context. Like Emma, Cher is a virgin. Contrasting Emma, however Cher’s virginity is not taken for granted. Due to her appearance one would presume the opposite. Therefore, Cher explicitly proclaims her virginity in order to inform the audience of her position: "I’m just not interested in doing it until I find the right person. You see how picky I am about my shoes - and they only go on my feet!"
Cher who starts out to be naive about relationships and love, just like Emma, eventually realises that she is in love with Josh, Mr Knightley’s counterpart. And just like Emma, Cher’s newfound love has matured her opinion of relationships without interfering with her independence.
The values of charity and morality are used both in Emma and Clueless.

These concepts show just how lucky Emma and Cher are to be wealthy and the moral responsibility that those with money, status and time have. Both protagonists perform charitable deeds, however for the most part, they do them for the self-satisfaction. Emma visits the poor and sick, yet this was part of a plan to walk past Elton’s house. Mr Knightley on the other hand simply loves to help others and doesn’t expect gratitude in return for his good deeds. This distinction between the two characters is also clear in Cher and Josh’s relationship. Emma gives away clothes that she no longer likes and it is apparent that she does not have a clear idea on the concept of charity for the benefit of others. Josh, like Mr Knightley, genuinely wants to help others and claims that he would die of shock if he ever ‘saw Cher doing something that wasn't ninety percent

selfish.’
Both Emma and Cher become more mature and charitable. Emma offers Jane Fairfax goods and a ride in her carriage and Cher actively assists with the Primo Beach Disaster. This change from the snobbishness that started out with initially reflects the effect that finding love has on their attitudes and morals.
Heckerling’s use of modern techniques to reshape the story of Emma through a different medium meant that a change in values was necessary. This is because for the same meaning to be conveyed in Clueless as in Emma, the values had to be contemporised to be relevant for modern audiences. Such alterations include the change of focus on marriage. Marriage is the centre point in Emma, however this value had to be changed in Clueless to focus on dating, sex and relationships, which are things the audience could relate to more and conveys the equivalent message of love that marriage did in Austen’s times.
The values morality and charity have also been altered and modernised, although not quite as much. For example, offering someone a ride in their carriage does not fit charity in the context of Clueless just like overseas aid would not have been possible in Emma’s time as technology was not yet advanced enough.
Even though the values in the original text have been transformed in the modern, the audience can see that both Austen’s and Heckerling’s heroines share the common values of marriage, charity and morality.