Emma: A Literary Analysis On Character Technique

Written by Vinnie Liu

Clueless, the 1995 film interpretation of Emma by Amy Heckerling, and the 1996 Meridian Broadcasting Ltd movie version of Emma, both exhibit numerous parallels to the original Jane Austen novel which was first published in 1816. Despite its modern deliverance through film media and the fact that it was created over a century after Emma, Clueless purposefully posses a stunning resemblance to Jane Austen's novel in both plot and characterisation. Main characters in Clueless: Elton, Tai Fraiser, and Cher Horowitz directly reference the respective main characters in Emma: Mr. Elton, Harriet Smith, and Emma Woodhouse. In her novel, Jane Austen employs the timelessly effective characterisation agents of dialogue, action, and point of view to cleverly manipulate readers' emotions towards the characters. Austen is so successful in applying characterisation techniques that her story line and her influence on the reader's opinions easily transcend the passage of time and variation of deliverance to give Meridian Broadcasting Ltd's Emma and Heckerling's Clueless the same modern day appeal as its forerunner Emma.

In many ways, Austen's Mr. Elton and Heckerling's Elton are comparable to one another in both their actions and dialogue. In Emma, we esteem Mr. Elton to be highly respected and well established in the upper social circles of Highbury because of his station as the vicar and his public displays of polite behaviour. Similarly, Elton from Clueless is also quite revered by his peers. Elton "is the social director of the whole crew" (Clueless) and belongs to a group of "the most popular guys on campus" (Clueless). Superficially both Eltons are gentlemen, but Austen's style reveals true character and gives depth to the Elton characters through their actions. The reader realises the improper behaviour and intentions of Mr. Elton when he professes his love for young Emma upon returning from the Westons' party. Not only does this go against Miss Woodhouse's social doctrines, but it also causes her to say that she was "very sorry that you should have been giving way to any feelings" (Austen, 150). Heckerling also uses Austen's genius to reveal Elton's true character when he lewdly expresses his affections for Cher during the return home from a party in the valley and then discourteously abandons her in an empty lot. Cher rejects Elton saying that she does not return his feelings of love, but his continual encroachment upon herself forced Cher to leave the car. In both instances, the inappropriate demonstrations of love reveal the lack of true nobility that lies beneath their seemingly brilliant exterior veneers. Justifiably, disastrous repercussions of the ignoble actions ensue and the friendships between the respective parties in Emma and Clueless end abruptly thereafter. Except for the increased foolishness of Mr. Elton in the Meridian Broadcasting Ltd direct Emma interpretation, the character in the movie essentially behaves exactly Austen originally created his character in the book. Throughout most of the three similar story lines, the reader perceives the Eltons as self-absorbed, hypocritical, and insincere individuals. Dialogue also betrays true character and often in an embarrassing manner. In Emma, Mr. Elton declares, "I shall have great pleasure, I am sure - for though beginning to feel myself rather an old married man, and that my dancing days are over, it would give me very great pleasure at any time to stand up with an old friend like Mrs. Gilbert" (Austen 324). He then contradicts himself shortly afterwards when offered a dance with Harriet Smith and says, "Miss Smith! - oh! - I had not observed. - You are extremely obliging - and if I were not an old married man. -But my dancing days are over" (Austen 324). This shows his hypocritical, self absorbed attitude towards those of lower social classes. Mr. Elton believes that despite Harriet's attraction to him, he boasts, "everyone has their level: but as for myself, I am not, I think, quite at so much at a loss" (Austen 151). In Clueless, Elton jilts Tai Frasier and remarks to Cher, "Don't you know who my father is?" (Clueless). Even in the movie Emma, the viewer observes that Mr. Elton conducts himself in comparable manner to the literary Mr. Elton and possibly in a more effective manner due to his snobbish attitude that can be expressed by the emphatic action of his body language. Jane Austen's superior use of dialogue and character action are reflected in the insightful understanding that the reader acquires about Mr. Elton.

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