Clueless is the latest cinematic adaptation Free Essay Example, 1250 words

Here is an interesting juxtaposition – Emma of the Victorian era was more emancipated that Cher of the modern America. So, the movie Clueless is much more than a faithful interpretation of Jane Austen’s Emma. Author Glenda Hudson points to a blatant deviation from the original work. He says that â€Å"the movies most violent transformation of Emma is the elimination of any serious issues, social, moral, or economic, from the affairs of the Beverly Hills teenagers, because these critics are blind to how high the stakes are in Austens novel. Should Mr. Knightley marry Harriet, life in Highbury would be hell for Emma, as she foresees. Trapped with her father, the Ugolino of passive-aggressiveness, Mrs. Weston occupied with her new baby and daughter-in-law away from Highbury, Emma would be left to the egocentric amiabilities of Mr. Weston (close to being a moral retard) and the vulgar triumph of the Eltons over her diminished influence† (Hudson, 1995) Hudson is correct in his assessment, as the Heckerling feature does no dwell upon these more serious angles to the narrative, making the movie more light-hearted and frivolous than what is truly necessary. We will write a custom essay sample on Clueless is the latest cinematic adaptation or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Clueless, in spite of being a good adaptation of the novel, fails to address the moral and aesthetic angles to the story that is a striking aspect of the book. This is almost inevitable, considering the limitations of the audio-visual medium. As author Judy Stove writes, â€Å"That our educationists imagine that students can only read an old novel if bribed with a film, indicates their low expectations. In a stylistic comparison between Emma and Clueless, it is unlikely that either aesthetic or moral issues are going to receive careful consideration† (Stewart, 1993). Also, Clueless should be studied, not just in relation to Emma, but in the context of the whole body of Austen’s work. In many ways, Austen’s story based on a British high school girl, Mansfield Park is closer to the Beverly Hill high school adolescents of Clueless. This fact is acknowledged by contemporary scholars and as a result a more comprehensive study of Austen is being recommended today. Some scholars even attribute the strong moral convictions of the lead characters in popular chick-lit genre today to the works of Jane Austen. A classic example is Lauren Hendersons Jane Austens Guide to Dating, published in 2005, which encourages young women to exercise self-restraint the way Elinor and Fanny did. Moreover, Austen depicted â€Å"the values of her heroines not merely for aesthetic effect, but to encourage practical emulation.

The Morality of Reading The Catcher in the Rye in School...

The Morality of Reading The Catcher in the Rye in School The story of The Catcher In The Rye, can and is misinterpreted by many people. It is very easy to find The Catcher In The Rye immoral if you are reading the book only to prove that idea. This is so because you can ignore the good things and ideas the author is trying to convey by using certain incidents that might be labeled wrong. On the other hand, if you are reading the book and taking that extra step to analyze the things that Holden Caulfield does and the things that happens to him you end up having a greater appreciation for the novel and what it says. Throughout the book Holden has shown that he is a boy who in reality has a conscience and uses it. One example†¦show more content†¦His name was Ernest Morrow. Holden tells us that he thinks Ernest is â€Å"the biggest bastard that ever went to Penecy†. However, he started telling Mrs. Morrow how Ernest was one of the most popular boys at Penecy, how funny he was, and how everyone wanted Ernie to be class president, but Ernie wouldn’t let anyone nominate him. Holden had no obligation to rave about Ernest. He could have told Mrs. Morrow the truth about how her son acts, and what people think about him. Instead he sheltered her from the truth, and helped her to stop stressing and worrying about how her Ernest was doing socially with the other boys. Another incident in the book that could easily be misapprehended is the prostitute scene. When you think of a prostitute you think immoral, and inappropriate. When Holden orders for the prostitute to be sent to him he just doesn’t think of her as a person. But, when he sees her in her green dress, he pictures her buying the dress and how the people at the store didn’t know that she was a prostitute and he empathized with her. After he thinks about her and feels for her he can’t have intercourse or use her any more. He makes up a reason for not being able to have sex with her, pays her off and then she leaves. This shows that Holden sees and treats people how they should be seen or treated. Holden Caulfield, from what we know, doesn’t come from a religious family. However, we do know that he doesn’tShow MoreRelatedAmerican Library Association Vs. Salinger s The Catcher s The Rye 1230 Words   |  5 Pages J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, holds the honor of appearing on â€Å"Time† magazine’s 2010 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923 (Lacayo). In contrast, the American Library Association (ALA) notes that the novel also holds the dubious honor of being the tenth most challenged book in the United States from 1990 to 1999. In 2001, 2005, and 2009 the book again made the ALA top ten most frequently challenged book list (Banned and Challenged Books). In the lightRead MoreThe Catcher in the Rye Essay1442 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper proposes to delineate the characteristics of Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist hero of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and illuminate t he reasons as to why this prototype of brooding adolescence, displaying a rather uber-cool style of disaffection, disenchantment and disillusionment became an indispensable figure of interest, in literary circles as well as popular culture. The paper seeks to take issue with the wider dimensions attached to the ‘incapacitation and debilitation’Read More J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye1435 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper proposes to delineate the characteristics of Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist hero of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and illuminate the reasons as to why this prototype of brooding adolescence, displaying a rather uber-cool style of disaffection, disenchantment and disillusionment became an indispensable figure of interest, in literary circles as well as popular culture. The paper seeks to take issue with the wider dimensions attached to the ‘incapacitation and debilitation’Read More Catcher in the R ye Essay: Holden - The Misfit Hero2101 Words   |  9 PagesThe Misfit Hero of The Catcher In The Rye      Ã‚     The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger was published in 1951. A recurring theme in J.D. Salingers stories concerns people who dont fit in with the traditional American Culture. Salingers misfit heroes, unlike the rest of society, are caught in the struggle between a superficial world and a conscious morality (1 Wildermuth). In his attempt to create a new and realistic portrayal of the times, Salinger first, effectively creates Holden CaulfieldRead MoreIllusions in J.D. Salinger ´s Catcher in the Rye Essays1188 Words   |  5 Pagesdistress. Holden Caulfields life has led to. an atrophy through his struggle of conceiving illusions as reality. In J.D. Salingers novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield battles the constant reminder of his brother, Allies, death while he roams the streets of New York. Preceding his futile adventures, he is expelled from his fourth school, Pencey Prep. During his extent at Pency, he introduces us to Allie when he writes a paper for Stradlater, his roommate, about Allies baseballRead MoreA Critical Analysis of Arthur M Schlesinger Jrs What Great Books Do for Children778 Words   |  3 Pagesdescribes them, contemporary morality tales. These books were written not to tell an authentic story (or to reveal or explore or complicate what it means to be human), but to impart a lesson, to teach me how to behave, to conform to a prevailing social milieu. But as young as I was, 7, 8, 9, I could intuit this moral didacticism, and as a result I hated reading. See, I hated reading a book when I knew how it was going to end after reading the first chapter. I hated reading a book when I felt as thoughRead More Censorship in Public Schools Essay1625 Words   |  7 Pages(Berger 59). -A Vermont high school librarian is forced to resign because she fought the school boards decision to remove Richard Prices The Wanderers, and to quot;restrictquot; the use of Stephen Kings Carrie and Patrick Manns Dog Day Afternoon (Jones 33). -An Indiana school board takes action that leads to the burning of many copies of a textbook that deals with drugs and the sexual behavior of teenagers (Berger 61). These cases of censorship in public schools are not unusual and there isRead More Censorship in the Classroom Essay2774 Words   |  12 Pagescensorship cases. I never knew a girl who was ruined by a book. * James Walker (Quotations, 1997, 2). When I was in elementary school, I read every Judy Blume book I could get my hands on. I cried through three readings of Katherine Patersons Bridge to Terribithia and scared myself with every Stephen King novel I could finish. In junior high and high school, we were taught Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, The Hobbit and Sounder, and My Brother Sam Is Dead, along with the classics. NoneRead MoreEssay on Censorship - To Censor Literature is to Censor Life2196 Words   |  9 Pagesbooks, and exposing children to such inappropriate language will contaminate them.   Proponents of censorship also object to plot lines in childrens books that deal with confusion and uncertainty; they do not think books should address issues of morality or the meaning of life.   They feel that children are not equipped to deal with these issues or, if they are, then their sole guidance should be parents and other authority figures.   Finally, some groups object to exposing children to literature a tRead More Censorship in Schools Essay3746 Words   |  15 PagesCensorship in Schools There has recently been a renewed interest and passion in the issue of censorship. In the realm of the censorship of books in schools alone, several hundred cases have surfaced each year for nearly the past decade. Controversies over which books to include in the high school English curriculum present a clash of values between teachers, school systems, and parents over what is appropriate for and meaningful to students. It is important to strike a balance between English

European Enlightenment free essay sample

Amadeus the film focuses on Mozart’s life while representing the 18th century European Enlightenment through social class, politics and social history. Firstly, through the life of Mozart, we saw how difficult it was to survive in society. There was a complex hierarchical structure, which did not allow individuals to upgrade their social class. Therefor, even though Mozart was a brilliant and well-known artist, he lived a mediocre life and his life ended with a below average funeral. Secondly, throughout the movie, we saw how not only the Emperor Joseph II was influenced by Mozart’s music and his new cultural ideas but he also played a big role in the entertainment business. Joseph II, himself, played music and had intellect in different aspects, which can be explained by the cultural movement in Europe, Enlightenment. Mozart to compose an opera to portray the banned Marriage of Figaro play, the Emperor changed his mind about this forbidden play and allowed it in his national theater, in Vienna, because he simply wanted to depict his political empire as a culturally rich environment. We will write a custom essay sample on European Enlightenment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Lastly, Amadeus was an excellent portrayal of the 18th century in Europe. It showed us visual aspects such as the clothing of members of different social classes or how people lived and interacted with each other. For example, Constanza was well aware of Mozart’s financial situation, which was a new ideology that women were implicated in economic matters. Also, the way Mozart acted around the King was very different from the way he was around his friends due to the fact that his musical intellect was greater then the King but out of respect he humbled himself. To conclude, Amadeus was a great depiction of the 18th century European Enlightenment in relation to cultural, political and social history.