Emma Essay In comparing your TWO texts you will have become aware of how the contexts of the

texts have shaped their form and meaning. Of more interest, perhaps, is a comparison of the values associated with each text. To what extent has this point of view been your experience in your study of Emma and Clueless?

The values that influence the form and meaning of any text are reflections of their contexts. This notion is explored through the comparison of Jane Austens Emma (1815) and Amy Heckerlings appropriation, Clueless (1995). While distinct parallels may be drawn between Clueless and Emma, Regency values of class, courtship and social etiquette are morphed to reflect the liberal nature of 1990s America in order to cater to the shift in context. The values of a particular context are what dictate the essential meaning of a text. Regency England was constructed upon a rigid social hierarchy and class was an extremely important notion

Conservative; Stringent rules on courtship reflected this value

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. Parallels between "Clueless" and Emma exist with regard to character, themes, and plotline; but Heckerling replaced values of class, propriety, and social etiquette with those of materialism, consumerism, and the importance of self-image.