Reflections on the Relevance of Manners, Marriage and Romance in Emma Adaptations

Abstract

The paper explores the adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma" in various forms such as "Clueless" and "Aisha." Focusing on manners, matchmaking, and romance, the research delves into the semiotics and depictions of marriage and relationships in these adaptations, employing literary theory to analyze the evolving portrayal of societal norms across different mediums. These adaptation are not merely a translation of the 18th century novel. They have incorporated the features, needs, mannerisms and outlooks of the times that they have been made in. More interestingly given Emma a more universal appeal, not to forget its relevance across cultures and time. The three adaptations are strung together with a common base story but as the stories unveil they all differ from one another. In more recent adaptations it has become more a question of ‘what women want?’ than someone else interpreting ‘what women need’? The paper builds on the various narratives well in their own time frames to highlight the ‘new normal’.