Essay on Emma by Jane Austen

From learning this we know Harriet is not in for a good future with this family. The way Jacobs describes the importance of the women in her life is inspiring, given that, at the time they had such little power and such few rights. “Mrs. Flint, like many southern women, was totally deficient in energy. She had not the strength to superintend her household affairs; but her nerves were so strong, that she could sit in her easy chair and see a woman whipped, till the blood trickled from every stroke of the lash” (Jacobs 360). The way she describes Mrs. Flint perfectly captures what all women in the south were like. This portrays an excellent example to Northern women how serious slavery can affect a person.

A Comparison of Emma by Jane Austen and Movie Clueless The film Clueless, written and directed by Amy Heckerling, is an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma and closely parallels the story in terms of character development and action. Although Emma was written in 1816 and developed ideas and issues of that period in time, 180 years on we can still recognize and identify with the exact same issues. This just proves that despite all the radical social changes that have taken place since Jane Austen's time, people and life haven't really changed all that much. The general life issues of money, love, friendship, class and finding ones place in the world are raised in both texts.

Jane Austen’s novel 'Emma' and Amy Heckerling’s Clueless, as significant and satirical reflections of Regency England and postmodern America respectively, indicate how the transformation process can shape and improve literacy, intertextual and logical importance. The transformation is evident in the compositions Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ and Amy Heckerling’s ‘Clueless’ enabling us to investigate the assortment of logical subjects. Regarding ‘Emma’ the perspective throughout the Regency time frame examines the strict values of love and marriage inside the inflexible social hierarchy. Austen’s advances the significance of etiquette throughout the text. Austen reveals a neo-women’s activist perspective, shown in the female protagonist revealing the female protagonists’ scholarly capacity and social equity in an otherwise patriarchal society. However, the close resemblance of the story; ‘Clueless’, Heckerling composition conveys entirely transformed values, reflected through the actions of the current upper-working class of contemporary Los Angeles. The critical analysis of commercialism in the informal social class system of modern America reiterating social expectations of gender and social characterisation within the microcosm of the typical American educational system. The transformation in attitudes of Austen, reveals an exhaustive utilisation of setting, a close examination of dialect and various artistic procedure.

Although Highbury was just a small population town, the particular social structure was reflecting this type of class structure about Britain. For instance, the love amongst Robert Martin and Harriet was not acceptable in Emma’s eyes. Robert Martin was a successful respectable farmer; Harriet is a friend of Emma and illegitimate of a tradesman nevertheless she received well cared and properly educated. So Emma couldn’t agree while Mr. Martin proposed marriage to Harriet, subsequently Emma Convinced Harriet to Refused to associate with Robert Martin. And try to match Harriet and Mr. Elton who was considered as higher rank of society status, young priest with record of great educating. In Emma describe of Mr. Martin “he may be the richest of the two, but he is undoubtedly her inferior as to rank in society.”(Emma, Chapter7, and p.33) it is clear that time, marriage most depended on and compromised with the values of their social status.

How thankful I was that my lover was a free man! That my tyrant had no power to flog him for speaking to me in the street!” (65) . Harriet’s inability to marry is emphasized by Dr. Flint. Harriet’s womanhood that wanting of marriage is laughed at and this emphasizes how Dr. Flint views her as nothing more than cattle.

is presenting such a delightful inferiority? And as for Harriet, I will venture to say that

Whether Harriet and Robert make a perfect match is not a concern in Emma’s opinion, her only worry is marrying the right guy, for her and her friends.

Jane Austen’s Emma can be categorized as a bildungsroman, better known as a coming-of-age tale, in which the reader follows the title character as she comes to terms with her position in the world during the Regency period. However, looking beyond the titular character, one can look at Emma as a satirical work regarding the restrictions and conventions of 19th century society. This satirical element later went on to inspire Heckerling’s interpretation as she adapted the story of Emma into the cult film, Clueless, which goes on to highlight the phenomena of cliques amongst the youth of America. Both works use the element of exaggeration in order to explore the gender stereotypes and expectations placed upon society during their respective eras. Heckerling effectively takes the novel Emma and thrusts it into the world of Beverly Hills, keeping the underlying themes while engaging a more modern audience.

“It would have grieved me to lose your acquaintance, which must have been the consequence of your marrying Mr. Martin.”(pg. 52.) This statement further reinforces the strict social rules that one applied to in Regency England. Harriet would have sunk

Emma, is the story of the education and growth process of Emma. Throughout majority of the novel, Emma involves herself in bad situations in which she misconstrues facts and blinds herself from the truth, at the expense of others. After Emma has discovered that she has been terribly wrong about Mr. Elton, and she was mistaken to encourage Harriet's affection of him, Emma says, "It was foolish, it was wrong to take so active a part in bringing two people together, it was adventuring too far, assuming too much, making light of what ought to be serious- a trick of what ought to be simple!." Emma

In addition, the novelist provides us with many diverse roles of women. Women did not have careers, simply marriage offers. We are soon introduced to Harriet Smith, who is an illegitimate orphan, with no options but to hope for a marriage proposal. She does not seem to have a great personality, has a bad background, and no dowry whatsoever, so it is a strange case when the young farmer, Robert Martin, proposes to her.

Harriet was seen as naive by her co-workers. They thought she wasn’t an actual woman but a mere child because she hasn't lost her virginity like the rest of her co-workers. Going as far as labeling her as a “poor thing” (Lessing 10) There is no such thing as the right time to do anything unless it feels right to

Though written over two centuries apart, the protagonists in Jane Austen’s Emma and Amy Heckerling’s Clueless, are very much alike. They are strong female characters of a certain social standing, that are expected to abide by a particular set of rules and adhere to societal norms. Unlike most young women, Austen’s Emma and Heckerling’s Cher are able to disregard social expectations¬ — like Emma’s idea of marriage, and Cher’s idea of sex — simply because they are privileged and socially stable enough to do so. In this way, both young women simultaneously embrace and reject the principles of female social expectations of their specific time periods. Both Austen and Heckerling confront the belief systems of their readers and viewers through characters that do not act “appropriately” within their respective social environments.

(Austen 1). Having a conceited nature, she only tolerates following her own advice, as well as frequently acting upon her instincts regardless of the consequences, especially when it comes to match-making. Emma believes that she is able to match any two people whom she deems compatible. Even though Emma is self centered, she ironically refuses to tend to her own feelings. Speaking to her father Emma states, “I promise you to make none for myself, papa; but I must, indeed, for other people.

Emma Woodhouse lives comfortably with a happy disposition as most members of higher society do and she enjoys testing her match making skills on her new friend Harriet. Unlike most women of her time, Emma has no desire to get married and thinks a little too highly of herself. Being accepted into the higher social class depended on how distinguished the family was, owning large properties, education, and large incomes without labor (Palmer). Economics and social standing was taking into higher account than romantic attraction when it came to marriage during that time period. In the novel, Mr. Elton marries Augusta Hawkins because of her new found wealth, however because the Hawkins family is not well establsihed they're considered to be a "nobody", and the new couple is not accepted into high society (Palmer).