Social Class And Gender In Jane Austen's Clueless

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Amy Heckerling’s Clueless is an appropriated text and an aesthetic cultural replay Jane Austen’s classical novel, Emma, wherein a comparison between the two texts suggest that social attitudes in regards to social class and gender have been maintained to a large extent. Set in the fictional town of Highbury at the turn of the 19th century of Regency England, the world of Emma is a microcosm founded upon patriarchal values and static social classes, while conversely the context of Clueless is of a different socio-historical bracket, set in the late 20th century of Beverly Hills – a hub of consumerist and materialistic ideals. In both texts set in their respective contexts, the demarked barriers characteristic to social classes is articulated, a homogenous portrayal of women is consistent and the patriarchy underpinning social values is explored. The contextual differences noted between the two texts, both aimed towards satirizing their respective contexts, provide a mechanism which allow for the attitudes associated to social class and gender – two key ideas underpinning the values present in both societies – to manifest in two different forms. However, the underlying message is still consistent: social attitudes towards gender and social class have been preserved and largely maintained over time. Emma is an effectual advocate for Austen's satirical characterisation of the class system - a means of organising society - as an inert concept, with clearly demarked barriers. The fictional town of Highbury is Austen's rural reflection of a microcosm founded upon the lavish, albeit strict lifestyle experienced by the gentry - a lifestyle defined by social status with immense regard directed at filial lineage, which proved to be infin... ... middle of paper ... ... the female demographic. Hence, Heckerling advocates, the generalisation that women are solely preoccupied by beauty present within Austen’s context is still evident within the society we live today. In conclusion, through a close examination of Emma and Clueless, it is evident that social attitudes towards social class and gender have been maintained to a large extent. This evaluation is based on the maintenance of the demarked nature of social classes, the homogenous portrayal of the female demographic and the patriarchal ideologies that underpin the values of society. Therefore, though Clueless is not a direct imitation, but rather a contextual reworking of its parent text, Emma, the message extrapolated from examining these two satirical texts is still clear: social attitudes towards gender and social class have been maintained to a large extent over the ages.

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