Often, a modern adaptation of a classic work loses many elements of the original. This is not the case with Emma Austen and Amy Heckerling's film adaptation, Clueless. The adaptation closely parallels the original text, from themes to characterization and even cultural context. Both works explore the relationship between fathers and daughters, men and women, and successfully illustrate how the treatment of women has changed over time. When you read Emma and then watch its modern counterpart, Clueless, it is very easy to observe that even though the stories have a gap of almost two hundred years between them, society has changed very little. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay While the story appears superficially to be about a spoiled young woman who has nothing more useful to do than play dating, the stories are much more complex. Both Emma Woodhouse and Cher Horowitz experience a metamorphosis from a self-centered young woman to a mature, empathetic woman. Emma is set in the Regency period, a time of rapid change that saw the Napoleonic Wars, the first glimmers of democracy and feminism, and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (Intro. to Austen). Clueless is set in the United States in the 1990s, another time and place with many opportunities for change. Emma lives in the wealthy, “large and populous” town of Highbury; Cher – the equivalent of Emma in Clueless – lives in a similar Beverly Hills. Both women come from a long and wealthy lineage; as Austen writes, Emma “had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with little to distress or irritate her” (Austen 1), as had Cher. Both women have been spoiled by the absence of their mothers, as both fathers try to compensate and keep the peace by giving them everything they want. Emma has many opportunities and freedoms compared to other girls of her time; Cher has a brand new Jeep (but no license), a computerized closet, and access to money whenever she wants it. To their credit, young women are worried about their widowed fathers. Mr. Woodhouse worries about his digestion, causing Emma to worry about his health (Ferriss), while in Clueless Mr. Horowitz is constantly obsessing over his cholesterol and pushes Cher to restrict him to a strict diet. Both the Woodhouses and the Horowitzes are members of upper-class society. Emma's father is very well known and everyone holds the Woodhouse family in high esteem. Cher's father is a renowned litigation lawyer. In today's society a profession like this is viewed with a lot of respect. It is obvious that Emma thinks highly of herself and has no great affection for the idea of ​​mixing with people of lower social status than her own. The same goes for Cher. These feelings of superiority are exemplified when girls take on the task of becoming friends with someone who is not on their level socially. Emma befriends Harriet Smith, the character who corresponds to Tai Frazier. While Emma considers taking Harriet under her wing to help her, it can be argued that this is simply to fill the void left when Miss Taylor left. Neither Harriet nor Tai are as refined as Emma or Cher. Harriet Smith is described as pretty but without outstanding features, and. Tai is a transfer student from New York who doesn't fit in with the other preppy girls. Emma sets out to perfect Harriet, just as Cher sets out to give Tai a makeover to fit in with her arrogant clique. Emma pushes Harriet the same way Cher treats Tai. Both Harriet and Tai lack self-confidence and independence and allow Emma and Cherto influence them. Harriet wants to marry Robert Martin, a wonderful man who happens to be a farmer, but she rejects his proposal because Emma says he is not high enough on the social ladder for Harriet. In Clueless, Tai has a crush on "skater boy" Travis that Cher does not approve of. The pressure to fit in is so great on Harriet and Tai that they allow themselves to be manipulated by their class-conscious friends. Both Emma and Cher play matchmaker, with unintended consequences. Emma encourages a relationship between Harriet and Mr. Elton, but Mr. Elton misunderstands her intentions and thinks she wants him for herself. This offends Emma because while she considers Mr. Elton good enough for Harriet, she does not see him as rich or good enough for her: “[Mr. Elton] must know that in terms of luck and consequences [Emma] was far superior to him” (Austen 100). Likewise, Cher tries to set Tai up with Elton. She is offended when she discovers that Elton actually likes her, as in her snobbery Cher believes that Elton is good enough for Tai but not for herself. Another similarity between Emma and Cher is that they have little respect for education. Emma makes list after list of books she intends to read, but never gets around to reading them. Cher gets more than a few downvoted papers and is obviously ignorant about world affairs. A news report comes on about Bosnia and Cher looks really puzzled when she says, "But I thought they declared peace in the Middle East!" Both women are very attractive and charming, which suggests that in both societies it is okay for a woman to be lackluster if she is pretty. One distinction between Emma and Clueless is society's expectations of women. In Jane Austen's time, women were expected to be delicate, obedient, and non-intellectual. As writer Monica Veiga states, "Because of their inability to do anything else, women's time was devoted to reading and practicing music, drawing, and dancing, accomplishments that men thought they should achieve" (Veiga ). Men largely controlled women's lives and had more freedom to come and go as they pleased. Austen writes: “A young woman, if she falls into bad hands, may be teased and kept at a distance by those she wants to be with; but it cannot be understood that a young man should be subjected to such restriction” (Austen 143). Clueless, by contrast, is set in a society where women can do anything men do, and there are few – if any – restrictions on what is socially acceptable. Girls know that they can have great aspirations and that it is not a crisis if they don't get married. Jane Austen's Emma and Amy Heckerling's Clueless convey the same messages: don't interfere with other people's relationships, learn to accept that you're not always right. , and do not be hasty in judging (Rich to Ditz). Through these lessons, Emma and Cher become more well-rounded individuals. At the end of the novel Emma is truly sorry for the way she has meddled in other people's lives. She is remorseful and realizes that she doesn't always know what's best for everyone. Cher comes to a similar realization near the end of Clueless. It is extraordinary to witness how the moral of this story transcends two hundred years and remains applicable in today's society. Works Cited Ashford, Viola. "A Brief Introduction to Jane Austen." February 9, 2004. Suite 101. February 19, 2004 "A Brief Introduction to Jane Austen." Suite 101. February 19, 2004 .Austen, Jane. Emma. 2001st ed. New York: Modern Library, 1816.Clueless. Dir. Amy Heckerling. Perf. Alicia Silverstone, Brittney Murphey, Stacey Dash. Videotape. Paramount, 1995.Clueless Script. .Delany, Paolo. Notes by Emma Lecure. October 2003. Department of English, Simon Fraser University. February 19, 2004 .Emma- Understanding Jane's world/54864>.