Transformations HSC notes
The transformation process of Emma into Clueless allows us to gain insights we would otherwise fail to realise, and is best exemplified through characterisation, the depiction of social class and hierarchy, and the humourous and dramatic ironies within the narrative.
Both Austen and Heckerling explore themes of self development, social and moral responsibilities, personal worth, perception, deception, relationships and marriages.
Austen’s irony is unmistakable from the first sentence, recognised by the responder through the word “seemed”. “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence”. In Clueless, Emma is aptly appropriated as Cher, introduced visually by Heckerling as a stereotyped rich, beautiful blonde living privileged life of shopping and parties in Beverly Hills. Heckerling also incorporates Austen’s irony, achieved for example through the incongruity between Cher’s voice-over “I actually have a way normal life for a teenager” and the visual of a touchscreen computer matching her outfit for the day. Emma is satirised through Austen’s third person narration to achieve distance between a character’s perceptions and reality, while Cher is similarly satirised through the juxtaposition of visuals to Cher’s voice-over.
Both texts lead to a climax of self-realisation and development. Cher and Emma, through a series of events, finally gain insights into their own feelings and behaviour, and this discovery is central to the development of the plot in both texts. Austen uses a rare image in her writing, “It darted through her with the speed of an arrow that Mr Knightley must marry no one but herself”, to emphasise the importance of the awareness Emma gains; while Heckerling employs film techniques, combining the dialogue “Oh my god, I love Josh”, with the camera zooming in rapidly on a centralised, grand fountain and a trumpet fanfare. Heckerling has ensured that Austen’s irony is not lost, deliberately satirising the scene’s superficial nature by exaggerating the romantic cliche of the fountain responding to Cher’s thoughts. However, cinematic characterisation dictates the need for a film audience to identify with and like the heroine. Emma insults Miss Bates in the novel, but it is Tai who insults Travis in the film. This is used to increase responder sympathy with Cher as a character already undergoing her moral transformation, and provides the necessary empathy to make the film’s heroine a likeable character. The fast-paced lifestyle of late 20th century is reflected in the modern medium of film, a symbol of contemporary popular culture, where Heckerling must compress the leisurely narration of Austen’s events.
Both composers manipulate the expectations of their responders through a protaganist who does not act in accordance with their specific social environment, forcing responders to confront their own preconceptions. While the novel appears to follow the traditional model of a novel requiring the heroine to pass a series of social tests in order to prove virtue in ladyhood, Austen “instructs her readers to deconstruct the pervasive images of ‘ladyhood’ created by her period’s conduct-book writers.” Similarly, Heckerling, while presenting the audience with the sexual stereotype of a blonde dressed in short skirts and tight tops, creates a paradoxical character who is a proclaimed virgin. In transforming the concept of ladyhood to one concerning sexual promiscuity, Heckerling updates Austen’s meaning which is the questioning of assumed stereotypes or cultural products. While Austen and Heckerling mock and satirise their protagonists, they are also, in the process of exposing the protagonist’s delusions, satirising the social conventions that nurture such delusions of superiority. The film and novel force responders the question the values and expectations they bring to a reading of the texts.
The understanding of the characters extends further than their romantic realisation, to the second theme – an awareness of social responsibility. Social responsibility involves being aware of others, the obligation to assist. It also includes to some extent, a responsibility to uphold society’s conventions and promote social stability. Both Emma and Cher explicitly resolve to extend their actions to incorporate the social responsibilities inherent in their social position. Austen informs us of Emma’s personal reflections, “in the resolution of her own better conduct...it would yet find her more rational, more acquainted with herself, and leave her less to regret when it were gone.” This message is communicated through Heckerling’s use of the voice-over, when Cher informs the audience that “I decided I needed a complete make-over, except this time I’d make-over my soul”. The concept of the “make-over” is a recurring motif in the film, a symbol of modernity, updating and transformations. It also reflects the cultural and social context of teenage sub-culture encouraged by many forms of media to appraise themselves and others in terms of conforming to an acceptable image. One of the major changes from prose fiction into film is the changes that must be made from written reflections. The way Heckerling has achieved this transformation is through the voice-over, which effectively functions as an insight into the character’s thoughts. Different techniques have been used to accommodate different mediums, but Heckerling has faithfully captured the message depicted in Emma, which is the importance of social responsibility.
These responsibilities are not only represented through the protagonist, but are explicitly represented by the Knightley/Josh character. Austen has used Knightley as the symbol of responsibility. He is introduced as “Mr. Knightley, a sensible man”, the voice of sense, order and reason, aspects valued by Austen. Despite the changes in medium, Josh is also depicted as a voice of sense, order and reason. Heckerling visually shows us Josh’s interest in wider political activities, through costuming and his watching of news. His dialogue, “I’m going to a tree people meeting...maybe Marky Mark wants to use his popularity for a good cause, make a contribution”, shows his sincere concern in global issues and a social and moral conscience. Instead of describing Knightley/Josh’s character, Heckerling shows us. Despite this difference, the responder recognises both Josh and Knightley as the worldly symbol of responsibility.
“Austen’s work lends itself to a particular social environment searching for a balance between mutating social convictions.” (Mazmanian). Austen uses Frank Churchill in Emma as a character who infringes social norms by having a secret engagement. Heckerling’s use of a homosexual character, Christian, draws on this concept of social norms and the stigma attached to such behaviour. “We no longer equate secret engagements with moral inadequacy, but we...place homosexuals in a...stigmatized category.” (Mazmanian). Austen positions the responder to judge Frank through the Knightley’s comments “he can have no English delicacy towards the feelings of other people”. However, Austen also allows a kind of forgiveness for his flawed character, in that he will improve under the stable influences of Jane Fairfax. This stigma is subtle in Clueless. Heckerling uses intertextuality in drawing on knowledge about the editing of Spartacus to depict the judgments placed on homosexuals by a wider society. Just as Frank becomes socially acceptable because of his inherited wealth and position, Christian is suggested to be socially acceptable only if he conforms to stereotyped expectations of a male homosexual – the well-dressed shopping partner who “always wants things to be beautiful and interesting”. His exclusion from the heterosexual couples at the conclusion of the film emphasises the continued social fringe existence.
“The eighteenth century debate concerning kinship and birthright evolved into one concerning sexuality and promiscuity” (Mazmanian). Harriet’s lack of family connections is replaced by Tai’s sexual activity. Tai is not subtle about her promiscuity, “I don’t really care either way, just as long as his you-know-what isn’t crooked”, and through this dialogue, Heckerling shows the responder that Tai lacks the ability to distinguish between demonstrations of intimacy and casual sexual relationships. It is implied that sex is allowed only when balanced with true affection. Not only has Heckerling transformed the plot, but she has also transformed the issues of marriage into the more modern debate about social stigma and sexual activity.
The theme of deception is most clearly represented in both texts within Emma/Cher’s attempts to reform the Harriet/Tai character. Emma deceives herself into believing that “she would notice her; she would improve her; she would detach her from her bad acquaintance and introduce her into good society; she would form her opinions and her manners.” Austen firstly italicises the word “she”, drawing the responder’s attention to the repetition of “she” and thus the self-centredness and self-delusion of Emma’s thinking. This theme of self-delusion is reiterated by Heckerling through Cher’s dialogue, “I am rescuing her from teenage hell...I am going to take that lost soul in there and make her well-dressed and popular. Her life will be better because of me.” The syntax emphasises the personal pronouns of “I” and “me”, like Austen. The responder realises this is self-delusion because they have been shown that the Harriet/Tai character were satisfied with Martin/Travis and their social environment, and the responder is positioned to understand the same message: the importance of perception and individualism within accepted social boundaries.
In the novel, Frank feigns interest in Emma in order to disguise his attachment to Jane. In the film, Christian’s attention in meant to cover a homosexual nature. While the subject has been transformed to suit the contexts inherent with the change in medium, both composers imply the potential damage that these deceptions could cause to individuals involved. This deception is contrasted with Josh/Knightley’s perception. Although both Josh and Knightley originally feel threatened by Frank/Christian’s presence, Austen and Heckerling show us moments where they realise that Emma/Cher is not the target of their attentions, overcome their initial jealousy and are able to more objectively view Frank/Christian. Austen communicates this again, through written reflection, “and if he could have thought of Frank Churchill then, he might have deemed him a very good sort of fellow.” Heckerling achieves this through the editing of camera shots – the cutting of a shot from Christian dancing with another male to a close-up of Josh and the expression on his face communicates his perception of Christian’s homosexuality, leading to loss of jealousy. This is one example where the way information is presented has been thoroughly transformed because of different mediums. However, even though Heckerling has communicated through visuals, she has not changed the messages of perception and deception.
The film transforms the novel’s social conventions and hierarchies into a modern context to emphasise this message to a modern audience. James Poniewozik stated, “class...the old English sense, which had to do only with how you were born, and the old American sense, which had to do only with how much money you had.” Emma’s father is a retired veteran, part of the landed gentry, so that his wealth and social position gives Emma her wealth and social position, “they were first in consequence”. Similarly, Cher’s class system is based on material affluence, the social status of having a feared and powerful litigator for a father who is “so good he gets paid $500 an hour just to fight with people”, living in Beverly Hills and social popularity. The class systems of both texts are always overtly demonstrated and supported by the protagonists, who are clearly aware of their high social status. Another example of social convention is the depiction of marriage and relationships. Both Emma/Cher and Knightley/Josh represent the ideal match reflected against the dangers of marrying purely for wealth and position as symbolised by the Eltons, or purely for desire as symbolised by the first marriage of Mr Weston. Characters find happiness in marrying or engaging in relationships within socially acceptable boundaries, stated explicitly through Harriet/Tai’s relationship with Robert/Travis. Heckerling acknowledges the continued existence of social and class boundaries. By transforming Austen’s text so that a modern audience can recognise that social conventions still dictate life in a modern society, the responder is encouraged to appreciate the ways in which Austen mocks such social conventions in her text without trying to disband the social hierarchy.
