Help. (1 Viewer)

[Ashley Cool]

Transformations.
Question: 'Understanding the form of a text rather than just the story provides us with rich insight.' Do you agree?
Help. Relating to Emma/Clueless.

 

[fat_penguin]

i'd say yeah, because the form speaks a lot about the text..

like Heckerling was criticising contemporary consumerist culture throughout the film, that's why her choice to use a 20th century teen pic was really important - it enabled her to juxtapose scenes such as those involving Tai's outfits; remember how daggy she looked when she first appeared in that PE lesson compared to the other gym students, but she was nice? but then as soon as she had on her miniskirt and makeup and was comfortable in it [read: the scene where she told Cher she liked Josh] she was rude etc? so it allowed her to subtly comment on how shallow the world is now you know?

i'm not sure what you could say about Emma, seeing as that was the like only medium at the time.. but i guess if you understand the techniques that she uses, eg authorial intrusion to differentiate between what Emma thinks and reality, it adds another dimension to the novel?

lol if that didn't help i'll try to do a follow up later, [even though that also might not help =P] cause it's kinda too late to function properly now =) but i hope it did help some..

 

[Ashley Cool]

Thanks for you help.

 

[Born Dancer]

it probably helps to answer the question if you compare the literary styles of the texts.
i.e

the realist nature of austen's text vs heckerling's postmodern film

 

[666_blessings]

Adding to what's already been said, you might want to make a point of the irony in the mediums used but the composers. Heckerling's criticism of teen pop-culture through the medium they access the most (film) and Austen's criticism of the bourgeois through a medium that only they would have access to (not too mant people were literate back then) are both rather ironic.