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- 2004
Module A: Comparative Study of Texts & Contexts
Transformations
Emma/Clueless
Transformations
Emma/Clueless
This FAQ is designed to help HSC students studying the texts Emma by Jane Austen and Clueless by Amy Heckerling for the Comparative Study of Texts and Contexts Module for English. I take no responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the statements below. All new questions about Emma and/or Clueless not already dealt with here should be posted below and will be added to the FAQ in due course. Any more threads asking questions about Emma and/or Clueless will be closed.
Important Links to Emma/Clueless sites:
Both:
http://www.jasa.net.au/study/transformations.htm
http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/clueless.html
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8563/essays/essay1.html
http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/AHR/archive/Issue-August-1997/stern.html
http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/maclulss.html
http://www.jasa.net.au/study/ferriss.htm
Emma:
http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmEmma02.asp
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/emma/
http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/emma/
http://www.uah.edu/colleges/liberal/education/S1998/jennyd.html
Misc:
http://www.funtrivia.com/quizdetails.cfm?id=161427 (quiz urself! yay!)
Quick Links to BOS Emma/Clueless resources:
http://www.boredofstudies.org/courses/english/advanced/2001_EngAdv_N_EC_Comparison_Monica.pdf
http://www.boredofstudies.org/courses/english/advanced/2001_EngAdv_N_EC_Comparison_Dundon.pdf
http://www.boredofstudies.org/courses/english/advanced/2001_EngAdv_N_EC_Comparison_Sarah.pdf
http://www.boredofstudies.org/courses/english/advanced/2001_EngAdv_N_EC_Alla.pdf
http://www.boredofstudies.org/courses/english/advanced/2001_EngAdv_A_EC_Values_Dundon.pdf
http://www.boredofstudies.org/courses/english/advanced/2001_EngAdv_A_EC_Dundon.pdf
http://www.boredofstudies.org/courses/english/advanced/2002_English_Advanced_HSC_B56_Q1_S1_BOS.pdf
http://www.boredofstudies.org/courses/english/advanced/2002_English_Advanced_HSC_B56_Q1_S2_BOS.pdf
http://www.boredofstudies.org/courses/english/advanced/2002_EngAdv_A_EC_Comparison_Guirguis.pdf
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...Advanced_Assessment_Task_Ashurina_Shalalo.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...004_English_Advanced_Assessment_Task_Tara.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...sh_Advanced_Assessment_Task_cricketscorer.pdf
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours..._English_Advanced_Assessment_Task_Jessica.ppt
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...4_English_Advanced_Assessment_Task_Kate-o.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...2004_English_Advanced_Assessment_Task_LVB.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...vanced_Assessment_Task_sarah_colenbrander.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours..._English_Advanced_Assessment_Task_unknown.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...2004_English_Advanced_Half_Yearly_Cattiva.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...7_2004_English_Advanced_HSC_Cris_Scardino.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...4683986_2004_English_Advanced_HSC_Toodulu.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...2004_English_Advanced_Notes_Alison_Butler.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...9632454_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_Carly.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...092804800_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_SAM.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...630734_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_LOU13S.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...78265_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_Melissa.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...99031772_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_Tara.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...8423774_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_anon..doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...470537_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_Ashley.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours..._2004_English_Advanced_Notes_Bron_Hardage.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...5726_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_csmi1487.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...105778781_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_egg.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...111564801_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_egg.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...004_English_Advanced_Notes_imperfek_anjel.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...64728_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_Jessica.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...9634122_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_Katie.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...800243_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_kimmeh.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...098484147_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_Mel.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...040419_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_polnud.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...11564889_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_pyre.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...228_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_steph@nie.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...3160331_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_sTuDd.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...3160413_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_sTuDd.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...4410_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_Tayyebah.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours..._English_Advanced_Notes_Tayyebah_Kahlon.1.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...354306_2004_English_Advanced_Notes_timbk2.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...004_English_Advanced_Notes_truly-in-bliss.doc
http://www.boredofstudies.org/cours...89_2004_English_Advanced_Trial_Paper_Kate.doc
thanks to cro_angel
-What has been changed most successfully & how has the original message changed?
personal relationships - the binding nature of relationships
The HUGE deal with relationships in Regency England was due to the social conventions - divorce was a huge scandal. People married for security (The Eltons) - you marry once, you're stuck - hence Emma's 'having none of the usual inducements to marry' since she's loaded. Picking a partner and marrying became what people did all day, since it determined their future (Emma with Tai)
20th Century America recognises this relationship freedom (Josh's Mum, Mel) and the fickle nature of relationships (everyone's dating) and explores the triviality of marriage (will Christian ever get married?). The marriage at the end of 'Clueless' shows the lack of importance of marriage (Mr Hall and Miss Geist are pretty old, Tai and Dionne discuss superficial aspects of marriage)
I would say something about the factor class contributes to relationships, but evidently this isn't as strong, since Elton won't go with Tai (obvious quote: 'don't you know who my father is?")-whiterabbit
- In relation to Emma and clueless what is meant by the historical, social, and cultural context of the texts?
Historical contexts
Both texts (obviously) have very different historical contexts, as “Emma” was written in and about the 19th Century, whereas “Clueless” was written in and about the mid 1990s. In saying this, however, one must wonder as to just how much the two contexts have changed? Wealth, Social status, and the inequality of men and women were issues in the 19th Century, but they are still evident in today’s society. All of these themes can be interconnected in BOTH texts and BOTH contexts.
Social Contexts
The social contexts in both texts are dissimilar in that Cher is given a lot more social freedom than Emma. She is allowed to be alone with boys (well she goes to a co-ed school). Cher is educated in a schooling environment, whereas this was not allowed for girls during the 19th Century. Emma must be accompanied by an older male (possibly a brother) at all times. It is socially acceptable to be “single” or a “homosexual” in Cher’s world, but is almost unheard of in Emma’s society – she is only “single” until a legible bachelor asks for HER FATHER’S PERMISSION to marry his daughter.
Cultural Contexts
All three contexts can be interweaved together, as they are quite similar. Emma and Cher have been bought up in different cultures. As stated before, Cher is given a lot more freedom than
Emma could ever imagine. You may feel sorry for Emma and this rigid society she lived in – but just remember that this society is the only one she knows of, so she would never have felt disadvantaged or restricted.
- How is clueless a postmodern text?
Clueless presents a post modernist setting. In 2oth century Beverly hills, we have the realisation of the American dream, a world driven by commercial considerations and worshipful of materialism. The mall rather than the church is seen as a sanctuary, a place to restore one's spirits. In the post modernist setting, Clueless appropriately is dominated by images of the excess, in a world driven by money and status. Essentially, a microcosm of contemporary American society. -Sarah168
post-modernism is a movement that happened as a reaction to modernism.
here are its main features:
1) intertextuality.
2) disbelief in the "grand narratives" (ie, there is no absolute truth, so it debunks things like the bible)
3) self awareness and referentiality
4) playfulness... ie postmodern texts don't take themselves too seriously, like the person above me said, bold and the beautiful is a good example
5) doesn't believe that one form of art is intrinsically superior to another... ie, it doesn't say "well heart of darkness is harder to understand than, say, wild swans, therefore it is better"
6) often plays with genre and form
7) believes that reality is constructed by language (so in Clueless’ sense, this would be the visual language of the excesses of mid-90s America) -glycerine
- How is irony, humour and satire portrayed in Emma and Clueless?
Emma:
-->irony: using irony for the basic human follies, through these foolishness she highlights the main themes, heightens her criticism of certain characters and adding a dash of humour. e.g. Emma matchmaking and thinking that she is good at it. irony and understand of their faults help the characters to mature and growth for further plot.
-->humour: subtle humour requires closer reading of the text. also highlighting the human follies and faults. Emma being a text of "comedy of Etiquette" plays on subtle humour and irony.
Austen's humour are achieved through four techniques:
a) the exaggeration of personality
b) The juxtaposition of the characters beliefs, ideals and values
c) irony
d)The wit of the characters.
satire-> satirises the whole aspect of etiquette and notions of society’s preoccupation of social status and social circles ETC.
Clueless
plays majorily on the irony of the voice over and the visual imagery. e.g her being an ordinary teen when she has a comp to pick out her own clothes.
satirising: also their social circle, the popular culture and youths of today being superficial and sucked into the world of consumerism.-dark`secrets
It's ironic how Emma is so sure of herself and her own opinions when in the end, she finds out that her views on people are wrong.-CarinaT
- Emma and Clueless Essay Scaffold
This is by no means THE PERFECT SCAFFOLD, but just a guide. My suggestion is to write a scaffold before every essay and show it to your teacher.
Introduction
Make a statement about Popular Culture and/or the transformation of texts. Introduce the two texts (in this case, “Emma” by Jane Austen and “Clueless” by Amy Heckerling). Provide some points as to how these two texts are similar or dissimilar. Basically, tell the marker what you will be arguing. Lastly, answer the question!!
Paragraph
An introduction to Emma’s world. You can include quotes from the novel describing Emma as a person, “Had lived nearly twenty one years….”etc. Also you can include quotes about the rigid society and how, ultimately, this society will be dissimilar to the one portrayed in Heckerling’s “Clueless”
Paragraph
An introduction to Cher’s world. Same as above, but all for Cher. You could possibly state that although these two texts differ in some situations and are similar in others, BOTH texts illustrate the same message, that cluelessness (pardon the pun) impedes the journey to great enlightenment.
Paragraph
For the next few paragraphs, you have two options:
Thematically – choose a theme and show how it is similar (or dissimilar) in both texts, providing quotes to support your argument or
Text by text – discuss a theme from one text then create a linking sentence when you begin to write the next paragraph.
This choice is entirely up to you and which is more comfortable and ultimately easier for you to write.
Conclusion
This is the easiest (or so they say): Sum up your argument!
NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU CONSTANTLY REFER TO THE QUESTION THROUGHOUT YOUR WHOLE ESSAY. MAKE CONNECTIONS, USE THE WORDS FROM THE QUESTION, JUST ANSWER IT!
Do we have to know every scene that has been transformed?
No, you do not. It’s a good idea to have a scene that has been transformed which relates to a certain theme. It is best to work by themes, so you can show if and how themes during the 19th century are still relevant in the 21st century.
What are some themes depicted?
- Love & Marriage
Marriage is essential for a women in terms of financial Security as well as social success. Austen Has incorporated several marriages in her novel to demonstrate the idea of a good Marriage. ie both partners should be on the same social level like Harriet and Robert Martin or even Emma and Mr Knightley. Both partners should also have a mutual understanding between them. This is what Austen is commenting on. (thanks to gaya3)
- Relationships
- Women
- Wealth
- Deception
- Vanity
- Moral dimension
- Distortion of vision
What are some values discussed?
- role of women
- marriage
- social structure
- social mores
What are some film techniques?
What you need to look at when studying film
- Production Design
*Style
*Colour Palette
*Location and Sets
*Set dressing, props, action vehicles
-Wardrobe / hair and make-up
*change in wardrobe throughout film
*what does clothes tell about the character
-Cinematography
*light
*film stock/speed
*camera angles, movement, framing
-The cast
*choice of actors
*style of performance
*objectives / blocking
-The sound
*location sound and dialogue
*sound effects
-The music
*major themes
*source music vs. Score
*pop culture music
-Editing
*montages
*pacing
-Special effects
Thanks to MissSavage29
How long should I spend on each text?
Depending on who you ask, this question will vary. I have been told all sorts of things: 20% / 80% ; 40% / 60% etc ;
However…the module asks you to compare and contrast TWO TEXTS, and I was told by a HSC marker that you should be concentrating on both texts EQUALLY.
Ie:50% for “Emma” and 50% for “Clueless”.
Many students fall into the trap of discussing “Clueless” more as they know it better, but you should really try and do 50 / 50.
How are Cher and Emma similar?
Cher and Emma are similar in that they both are ‘clueless’ at the beginning of their stories. They both live in their ideal world of denial, and they don’t seem to realise that people have feelings and that the girls have the ability to hurt people. They are both very spoilt and neither can see past the world surrounding them. Towards the end of their stories, both girls are enlightened and after broken hearts, they go through a transformation of their inner self. Of course, both girls have happy endings – Emma marries Mr. Knightley (lucky girl), and Cher and Josh get together (another lucky girl).
How are Cher and Emma dissimilar?
It is obvious that much of the two story lines are different. It can be noted that the general gist, and/or the ‘moral to the story’ remains the same. Cher and Emma’s dissimilarity lies in their reactions to people situations. Cher is more the ‘bimbo’, while Emma is just stubborn or ignorant. Both girls, however, do not mean harm. Although, some readers see a mean streak in Emma which they cannot see in Cher.
How do they relate to the topic “Transformations”?
I think the easiest explanation comes from the Board of Studies syllabus:
This module requires students to compare texts in order to explore them in relation to their contexts. It develops students’ understanding of the effects of context and questions of value.
Each elective in this module requires the study of groups of texts which are to be selected from a prescribed text list. These texts may be in different forms or media.
Students examine ways in which social, cultural and historical context influences aspects of texts, or the ways in which changes in context lead to changed values being reflected in texts. This includes study and use of the language of texts, consideration of purposes and audiences, and analysis of the content, values and attitudes conveyed through a range of readings.
Students develop a range of imaginative, interpretive and analytical compositions that relate to the comparative study of texts and context. These compositions may be realised in a variety of forms and media.
What are we actually expected to write about?
-You need to discuss how essentially, it’s the same story in VERY different contexts and this effects the way the story is told. You discuss parallels and how these are different/same due to the context. Values inscribed within each text due to its context, and the WAY the story is told, novel V film, irony V satire... etc.
-Values are necessary to any essay, because its the values that are the CONTEXT in the text (be sure NEVER to ignore that word! You're not comparing two texts, you’re comparing the products of two contexts!). I would probably also go into each text challenging social expectations, and how each pushes the boundaries of social acceptance. Austen challenges the idea of marriage for money, but basically says that Harriet will NEVER marry Knightly because its socially wrong. She sticks with the scope of social expectations. Same with Heckerling. Heckerling sticks Christian and the PE teacher (Ms Stoggart? Alluded to, although not confirmed) in there and goes, hey, homosexuality is fine... But at the end, when EVERYONE has a partner at Miss Geists wedding, neither of them do. Pushing the boundaries and scope of social acceptance, but not breaking them. -Will_Sparky
- Unfortunately a variety of questions can be asked for this module. Some questions ask you to write about similarities, while other ask you to write about differences. Either way, you have to mention both. A few years ago, there was a question asking how each text helps with the understanding of the other. I suggest looking at standards packages and all. This includes etiquette, marriage, social status in Emma, and materialism, popularity, social status and all in Clueless. -Tennille
How can I introduce both texts in my introduction without writing their full story lines?
Writing out the story lines is a common problem, so don’t freak out. It isn’t such a good idea to do this, as the marker already knows the story line, and also because you have a time/word limit, so you don’t want to be wasting this by adding in information that is not necessary. Here is an example of an introduction from an essay entitled “Clueless is just the same old story. Discuss”:
Popular culture desires to appropriate, to recreate texts and serve updated agendas. The process of transformation of Jane Austen’s nineteenth century novel Emma to Amy Heckerling’s late twentieth century film Clueless can be described as “the same old story”. Heckerling’s modern transformation has been dramatic, but has retained essential ideas of the original text. Problems of human relationships and the importance of social structures are present in both texts. Heckerling’s characters may employ language of the 1990’s and have modern interests and occupations, but they depict similar types of people with the same traits as Austen’s characters. Austen’s and Heckerling’s characters display self-interest, vanity, and practice deception, but they also demonstrate personal growth and perceptive honesty.
What are some important quotes from Clueless?
(As the movie is much more popular than Austen’s novel, I’m assuming that you can quote Clueless a lot better than Emma, hence I have added more of the novel’s quotes than the movie’s)
“whenever a boy comes over you should always have something baking”
“I needed to find sanctuary in a place where I could gather my thoughts”
“boys are…nervous creatures that jump and slobber all over you”
“I actually have a way normal life”
“totally butt-crazily in love with Josh”
“everything I think and everything I do is wrong. It all boiled down to one inevitable conclusion – I was just totally clueless”
“except this time I’d makeover my soul”
“Why practice parking? Everywhere you go has valet!”
“You’re a virgin who can’t drive!”
Full Clueless script:
http://140.119.186.100/clueless.html
What are some important quotes from Emma?
“Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.”
“Mr. Knightley was one of the few people who could see faults in Emma Woodhouse, and the only one who ever told her of them”.
“The yeomanry are precisely the order of people with whom I feel I can have nothing to do.”
“Mr. Elton was the very person fixed on by Emma for driving the young farmer out of Harriet’s head. She thought it would be an excellent match.”
‘The sphere in which she moves is much above his. It would be a degradation.”
“A degradation to illegitimacy and ignorance, to be married to a respectable, intelligent gentleman-farmer!”
“You have been no friend to Harriet Smith, Emma.”
“…a single woman, of good fortune, is always respectable…”
“There is one thing, Emma, which a man can always do, if he chuses, and that is, his duty”.
“She [Miss Hawkins] was good enough for Mr. Elton, no doubt; accomplished enough for Highbury…She brought no name, no blood, no alliance.”
“…they [the Coles] were of low origin, in trade, and only moderately genteel.”
“Emma thought it most prudent to go with her [Harriet]. Another accidental meeting
“How could you be so insolent in your wit to a woman of her character, age and situation? – Emma, I had not thought it possible.”
“It darted through her, with the speed of an arrow, that Mr. Knightley must marry no one but herself!”
“She saw that there never had been a time when she did not consider Mr. Knightley as infinitely the superior, or when his regard for her had not been infinitely most dear…she had been entirely under a delusion, totally ignorant of her own heart – and, in short, that she had never really cared for Frank Churchill at all!”
“I cannot make speeches, Emma…If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”
“She was his own Emma, by hand and word, when they returned into the house.”
REMEMBER at the end of the day YOU are the one that has to make the effort to read the texts, learn the quotes, write the practice essays and remember your notes. No one else can do this for you. Ultimately, YOU remain responsible for YOUR own learning.
Very best of luck to you all!
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