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...d as a result of this Austen paints a picture of a carefree and almost selfish character in her opening pages. The techniques of language, description and a continual ironic voice of Austen dominate not only the opening pages but the entire novel. Austen, through third person narrative interjects with her own descriptions of Emma, as stated in the above quotes, and does so in a language typical of 19th Century English prose. Austen playfully describes Emma’s sorrow of losing Miss Taylor; “how was she to bear the change”, despite the fact that Miss Taylor is only moving half a mile away from them. With this example, we can see the ironic and slightly mocking voice of Austen coming through. Physically the setting of Highbury is seen as “populous” and hence established is a busy village town, in England in the 19th century. The purpose of the opening of the film Clueless is the same as that of the novel, however is transformed dramatically in terms of plot, setting, character, society and culture. The movie’s setting is immediately established not only through the technique of the song “Kids in America” but also through the sweeping shots of American cultural life of teenagers. The camera moves across overhead shots of teenagers in open roofed jeeps, splashing, giggling and flirting by the pool as well as shots of shopping. The opening is much of a montage sequence which introduces Cher (the central character), as the centre of this busy teenage life. Through the technique of the song; “kids in America”, the descriptions which Austen uses to describe the populous village of Highbury, Heckerling uses to establish not only a physical setting but a cultural one as well. Also through the use of colour and montage, we are introduced to a fast paced consumerist society, whom Cher, (featured in all of the shots) is at the centre of. The shots of shopping bags, the mall, mobile phones and open roved jeeps, establishes through the technique of montage a highly consumerist American society, a transformation of Austen’s English upper class society. Instead of the narrative ironic voice of Austen, the film uses the “narrative” voice of its central character Cher. Where the irony in Austen’s novel comes through language, Heckerling has used her control as the writer of the script and director of the film, to manage to capture this ironic tone in a modern context, in these opening scenes. The opening scene begins as a series of sweeping shots and a montage combination of those things stated. As the opening continues similar shots of such activities as shopping, frolicking and driving are accompanied by Cher’s voice; “So Ok, you’re probably thinking is this a Noxema commercial or what?”. By stating such a comment we immediately are introduced to a number of character traits of Emma Woodhouses modern transformed character Cher. Cher thinks highly enough of her friends and herself, to see them as being able to appear in a beauty product advertisement. This immediately transforms the character trait of Cher thinking quite highly of herself and establishing the modern concept of vanity and consumerism to this transformation. Cher’s voice then goes onto say; “But seriously I have a way normal life for a teenage girl. I get up, I brush my teeth and I pick out my school clothes”. Whilst Cher is...