Jane Austen On The Screen A Study Of Irony In Emma

Although Clueless was released in 1995 and the other two adaptations (McGrath’s and Lawrence’s) were released in 1996, the discussion of the films is introduced with McGrath’s version, followed by a reading of Clueless. This shows that rather than following a chronological criterion, the choice has been to consider the matter of complexity, innovation, or originality as to the treatment that each film gives to the question of irony. Generally speaking, McGrath’s adaptation is the least successful in terms of recasting Austen’s ironic strategies, though specific examples will show that the director and screenwriter (Eclicroft himself) has not thoroughly ignored the issue. Interestingly, the “emptiness” one may find in the film’s alleged failure to recreate Austen’s ironic implications and effects has given rise to an investigation of other aspects which are also important for a comprehension of the film’s final pattern and intent. Lawrence’s version, no doubt because of the better quality and density of Andrew Davies screenplay, manages to reproduce and recreate Austen’s ironic meanings more convincingly and more substantially than McGrath’s. Heckerling’s Clueless is the most complex and original in terms of irony, mainly because of the ironic ways it plays with, thus giving rise to an explicit ironizing look into both Austen’s and our own contemporary world.