The film Clueless, directed by Amy Heckerling, serves as a modern adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma and closely parallels the story in terms of characterization and action. Both protagonists, Cher and Emma, are spoiled, upper-class snobs who manipulate society in order to fulfill both of their personal desires: popularity and self-satisfaction. Though both the novel and the film closely parallel one another, the argument with Josh/Mr.Knightley questioning the motive behind Cher/Emma and Tai's/Harriet's friendship portray contradictory views of both Austen's novel and Heckerling's film. Many of the drastic contrasts between the film and novel include the substituting of characters, changes in setting, flirtatious allusions and underlying contexts, all of which result from Heckerling's desire to illustrate the issues of friendship and love in a modern California high school differently from the 19th century countryside.

Austen's depiction of the friendship opens with Mr. Knightley...