Emma vs. Clueless: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

The Regency Era was principally marked by the splendor of fine arts such as literature, painting or architecture. Jane Austen was one of the important figures of this period due to her novels, which depicted the traditional way of life of a society based on the differences and division of classes. An example of this depiction is Jane Austen’s novel Emma (1815), which portrays the duties and expectations of a less common young lady of the era, who due to her position and wealth is not in the need of marriage. As a consequence, she feels the need for matchmaking her friends, sometimes wrongly. This dissertation compares the original text, Emma (1815), and its contemporary film adaptation from the 90s, Clueless (1995), regarding the main themes such as social class, marriage, family, gender and stereotypes as well as the main characters. In addition, two further analyses regarding the topic of this dissertation are presented at the end of the present paper: An analysis of the TV series Clueless (1996), and an analysis to compare other film adaptations from other classic works during the 90s. As a result, it can be said that the film adaptation, Clueless (1995), illustrates the main themes in a modern and progressive perspective in contrast to the novel of the beginning of the nineteenth century.