Universal Themes

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Page 8 Universal Themes

In the novel Emma there are themes that are specific to the story and themes that could work for anything. A universal theme is one that can work for more than one story. The first universal theme in Emma is romance. Romance is found in many books and movies. In Emma romance occurs multiple times. On page 410 it reads, “Harriet Smith marries Robert Martin.” The majority of the romance involves Harriet because Emma tries to make different matches for her. She tried to pair up Mr. Elton and Harriet and then Harriet decided she fancied Mr. Knightley. Both these predicted romances by Emma or Harriet failed because Mr. Elton and Mr. Knightley like Emma not Harriet. Before these relationships were attempted …show more content…

It is a common tale of who likes who and everyone's feelings get confused. Romance applies to all because almost every story has some sort of romance in it. Simply swap out the character's names and it starts to sound like another familiar story. Another universal theme of Emma is foolishness. Various authors choose to include foolishness in their stories through a character or through a character’s actions. There are a handful of foolish instances in Emma. On page 62 it states, “Nonsense! My dear Harriet, what are you thinking of?” Harriet can be very foolish and oblivious. Emma on the other hand is very bright but she never applies herself like she should. Harriet is a real fool as Emma and her try to decipher a charade. On page 130 it says, “Tiresome women.” Emma thinks of Miss Bates as a foolish and annoying women. She believes she is very silly and talks too much. Miss Bates like Harriet is oblivious and foolish most of the time. These two foolish characters relate to other stories because almost every story has a person that does something foolish and most often times that is how the stories conflict

What Points was Amy Heckerling Trying to Make when She Transformed Emma into Clueless
1323 Words | 3 Pages
Emma a widely recognized novel written by Jane Austen, Clueless a modern movie adaption of the novel. Both focusing on the lives of privileged and wealthy girls who have limitless boundaries. Emma Woodhouse lives in nineteenth century England, whilst her counterpart, Cher Horowitz lives in modern and upscale Beverly Hills. The literary text, Emma, is set in a time that is culturally, socially and historically different to Clueless. Clueless is set in a time where plastic surgeries are a routine thing and replicating another person’s clothing is an offense punishable by intense social judgement. Whereas Emma is set in a time where being alone with a boy is seen as culturally wrong and marriages are usually only solely based on convenience depending on the social status and wealth of your partner. Prominent themes that enhance Heckerling’s purpose of transforming Emma into Clueless involve importance of class, wealth, marriage, relationships, self-development and transformation between the two characters.
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Universal Themes
629 Words | 2 Pages
Are classic novels still being referred in modern society? Yes. Yes they do. – David Ngo claims
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Importance of Social Status in Emma and Clueless
846 Words | 2 Pages
Emma's arrogance shines through when she brags that she is exceptionally skillful at matching couples. She believes that she is in control of fate and must play matchmaker in order for couples to discover their true love. Austen confirms, "The real evils indeed of Emma's situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself" (Austen 1). Although Emma is so spoiled and overbearing, she truly doesn't realize this fact.
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Emma And Clueless Comparison
852 Words | 2 Pages
The process of transformation of Jane Austen’s nineteenth century novel Emma to Amy Heckerling’s film Clueless has been sensational yet it retained the essential contexts of the original text. This means that while the original plot of Emma has been altered the themes in Clueless remain the same. Relationships and the significance of social structure are still palpable in both texts albeit some differences due to the time periods they were set in. Heckerling’s characters may use the language and slang of the 1990s and have modern-day hobbies and occupations, but they portray similar types of people with a semblance of Austen’s characters: they express egotism, vanity and practice deception, but also demonstrate bildungsroman and perceptive
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Similarities Between Emma And Clueless
884 Words | 2 Pages
Throughout Austen’s novel, Emma demonstrates different qualities that her particular society valued. These include morality and charity, as well as marriage.
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Emma: the Turning Point at Box Hill
1324 Words | 3 Pages
Emma, a novel by Jane Austen, is the story of a young woman, Emma, who is rich, stubborn, conniving, and occupies her time meddling into others' business. There are several recurring themes throughout the novel; the ideas of marriage, social class, women's confinement, and the power of imagination to blind the one from the truth, which all become delineated and reach a climax during the trip to Box Hill. The scene at Box Hill exposes many underlying emotions that have been built up throughout the novel, and sets the stage for the events that conclude it.
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Theme of Transformation in Emma
1224 Words | 3 Pages
Another form of Emma’s neglect is one of manipulation, mostly through her control over Harriet Smith. Emma is “willful, manipulative, an arranger or rather a misarranger of other people’s lives. Much of the time she fails to see things clearly and truly, and her self-knowledge is uncertain” (Goodheart)25. “One significant effect of harping on Emma's snobbery is to set in relief her romantic notions of Harriet's origin and destiny” (Brooke)26. Although to Harriet, Emma’s “help” to her is one that will reveal optimistic results and a proper husband, Harriet is incapable to taking up for herself against Emma, but if “[s]he would form her opinions...
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A Comparison of Gustave Flaubert and Madame Bovary
1428 Words | 3 Pages
to see more and more of each other until Charles asks Emma's father for her hand
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Mary Crawford: The Satisfying Heroine
1633 Words | 4 Pages
In Mansfield Park, Jane Austen presents her readers with a dilemma: Fanny Price is the heroine of the story, but lacks the qualities Jane Austen usually presents in her protagonists, while Mary Crawford, the antihero, has these qualities. Mary is active, effective, and witty, much like Austen’s heroines Emma Woodhouse and Elizabeth Bennet. Contrasting this is Fanny, who is timid, complacent, and dull. Austen gives Mary passages of quick, sharp, even occasionally shocking, dialogue, while Fanny often does not speak for pages at a time. When she does, her speeches are typically banal and forgettable. In Mansfield Park, Austen largely rests Fanny’s standing as protagonist on the fact that Fanny adheres to the moral standards of Austen’s era. Mary Crawford makes a more satisfying and appealing heroine but due to her modern-era sensibility and uncertain moral fiber, she cannot fulfill this role.
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A Character Analysis Of Jane Austen's Emma
1464 Words | 3 Pages
Emma Woodhouse tries to use her influence to manipulate everyone around to her likings, and she only accepts the advice of mentors who agree with her. Emma knows that she is clever, and, having grown up as the smartest person among in Hartfield, she is continually being praised for her wit. As Mr. Knightley told Mrs. Weston, “Considering how very handsome she is, appears to be little occupied with it; her vanity lies another way” (33). She believes herself to be in the right without considering any other possibilities, or she rationalizes those possibilities away. More often than not, she is wrong.
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A Comparison of Escape in Madam Bovary and Anna Karenina
1527 Words | 4 Pages
Emma's active decisions though were based increasingly as the novel progresses on her fantasies. The lechery to which she falls victim is a product of the debilitating adventures her mind takes. These adventures are feed by the novels that she reads. They were filled with love affairs, lovers, mistresses, persecuted ladies fainting in lonely country houses, postriders killed at every relay, horses ridden to death on every page, dark forests, palpitating hearts, vows, sobs, tears and kisses, skiffs in the moonlight, nightingales in thickets, and gentlemen brave as lions gentle as lambs, virtuous as none really is, and always ready to shed floods of tears.(Flaubert 31.)
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Timeless Themes
753 Words | 2 Pages
Most universal themes in novels are sometimes considered to be timeless themes since they are widely relatable and last through the times. Universal themes appeal today because they are relatable and cunning. Timeless themes are not that different from universal themes, but for the fact that they happen at a certain time, but do not affect everyone. There are a few universal and timeless themes in this novel such as 'identity' and 'hopes and dreams'. Also, some other universal and timeless themes are 'sacrifice' and 'revenge', which seems to be a lot of it in the fastidious novel.
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The Timeless Truth of Madame Bovary
1609 Words | 4 Pages
After a few years of their marriage, Emma has become so bored with her life that she has made herself sick from want. Her boredom is so great that she wishes she could talk to her servant, "but a sense of shame restrained her" (81). She held herself above everyone, therefore isolat...
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Analysis Of Emma Bovary
1006 Words | 3 Pages
They are men. Realism is a luxury in their society, a luxury for those who can make their own choices. The men are realists, as it is easy to be a realist in their society because they have everything they need: male privilege, plenty of money, personal liberty to do what they choose, and sexual and materialistic satisfaction. All things Emma cannot have. The men, and critics put Emma into a mold then whine about her idealism. Certain critics say Emma denies the perfection of womanhood by ignoring her physical and social limitations as a wife and mother, that she destroyed the norm and establishes herself as a dreamy and unthinkable woman which completes her failure in life (Siddika, 52). This specific author contributes to the societal expectation of women, particularly the sexism ingrained in that culture: that women are housewives and mothers. With that mindset, the one that Emma’s society has, it is be impossible for Emma to have any enjoyment in life. Another author presents, “[Emma does not] show signs of remorse for being an unfaithful wife, a negligent mother, an
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Emma by Jane Austen
2037 Words | 5 Pages
Emma Woodhouse: Emma is the main character of the novel. She is a beautiful, smart, and wealthy 21-year-old woman. Because of her admired qualities, Emma is a little conceited. She is the daughter of Henry Woodhouse. Since her mother has died, Emma has taken the role of taking care of her father, who is old and often sick. Because she feels she is obligated to stay by his side, Emma decides not to marry. Emma believes that she is a good matchmaker, and tries to put together several couples throughout the novel. Emma believes that social classes are very important and refuses to see anyone cross over to marry someone lesser than themselves In chapter 8-page 52, Emma is talking about Harriet’s situation with the farmer with Mr. Knightley. She says, “Mr. Martin is a very respectable young man, but I cannot admit him to be Harriet’s equal. As the novel progresses, Emma becomes more mature, and realizes how silly she had been in the past. In the end, she finally stops matchmaking others and marries Mr. Knightley, who was perfect for her all along.
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Universal Themes

What Points was Amy Heckerling Trying to Make when She Transformed Emma into Clueless