I had heard once upon a time that the ’90s classic Clueless was loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma. After reading the novel I thought, LOOSELY?! It’s as loyal to the source as Emma is to her father!
Want to know how well the movie tracks the book? You’re in the right place! Enjoy.
Enter Emma. Bright, beautiful, a bit naïve; caretaker of her stressed father and the family estate.
We soon meet Mr. George Knightley, close neighbor and elder cousin (or visiting step-brother) constantly at the manor. He tends to chide Emma, but in a loving way.
Emma’s closest companion Miss Taylor gets married to Mr. Weston and moves nearby. They see each other almost everyday.
Emma gets bored and befriends the homely Harriet Smith. She wants to teach her how to be high class and win a gentleman.
Harriet, however, has been courted by the honest, but poor, Mr. Robert Martin. Emma convinces Harriet this will not do.
Emma takes Harriet to a fancy party and pushes her towards Mr. Elton.
But on the carriage ride home from the party, Mr. Elton declares his love for Emma, never considering Harriet for a moment. Emma is adamantly opposed to this development.
Soon after, the mysterious Mr. Frank Churchill arrives on the scene. Emma’s romantic interest is piqued and she thinks he might feel the same.
To Emma’s great surprise and disappointment, she finds out that Mr. Churchill is otherwise engaged.
However, Mr. Churchill does save Harriet from a group of attacking gypsies.
Harriet comes to terms with Mr. Elton’s rejection and disposes of reminders of him. This leads to an upsetting conversation.
Downtrodden, Emma reflects on her recent actions and makes a realization about love of her own.
Distressed by fears that Mr. Knightley thinks her inferior, Emma isn’t sure how to act.
To her great relief, Emma finds out that her love of Mr. Knightley is requited to the fullest.
Harriet marries Mr. Martin after all and Emma lives happily ever after.
At the end of the day, I think the novel could have been about 100 pages shorter and told the same story, but it was still an enjoyable read. Because of the book’s length, quite a few subplots and characters were necessarily deleted in the Clueless version. If you want the full scope of the story (and the enthusiastic endorsement of The Mrs.) definitely invest the time in the four-part BBC mini-series starring Romola Garai as Emma. It’s pretty fantastic.
Quest Completed!!!
Northanger AbbeyPride & PrejudicePersuasionSense & SensibilityMansfield ParkEmmaLady Susan – doesn’t really count, but I did watch Love & Friendship!