The emergence of films aimed at teenagers began in the late 1950s and 1960s, as they had a disposable income. This contrasts with Clueless, which brings the same classic story to modern teenage audiences, male and female alike. The same is true of Jane Austin’s Emma, despite its original audience of primarily female readers. Yet both retain the target of reaching across classes and social backgrounds with relatable and recognisable characters. While William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was not originally aimed for a teen audience, Luhrmann’s adaptation clearly is. Modern-set versions of Emma suggest that the directors had more on their minds than careful adaptation of Jane Austen and Shakespeare: their interest seemed to lie primarily in how far works of earlier centuries might be made to seem relevant to later generations in settings and times far removed from those in which they had their origins. The Cambridge Companion for Literature on Film argues, ’ Cho argues ‘film represents the filmmaker’s subjective understanding of the literary source’, which allows Heckerling and Luhrmann’s teenage inspirations and visions for these classics to be welcomed by many in the film world, even as some in the literary world criticise. Robert Stam argues that ‘literary text is not a closed, but open structure to be reworked by a boundless context. This process of adaptation has lead to popularisation of these classic tales for this unique audience. Therefore these texts are perfect for adapting for audiences previously underrated and disengaged with the classic content, such as a teen audience.Ĭritic Sung-eun Cho remarks that ‘f a story is defined only by the literary telling of it, film begins in a disadvantaged position.’ This is what Luhrmann and Heckerling were arguing with these adaptations they are retelling these stories in a new form and should be judged in a different way. Clueless similarly has reference to love, homosexuality, relationships, fitting in, drugs, alcohol, sex, and both feature lack of parent responsibility and intervention, often a recurring theme in young adult literature and films. The content is everything teen viewers desire Romeo and Juliet includes references to drugs, teen suicide, romantic and familial love and betrayal, sex and alcohol all issues teen audiences are interested in discussing, with universal themes they can relate to. What separates the original classics from these adaptations is the way the adaptations have been re-worked to create a new option for teenagers to access these classics. Yet their sources, Jane Austin’s Emma (1816) and William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1597), are unlikely to feature on any teenage fiction lists. Amy Heckerling’s Clueless and Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet feature prominently on best teen adaptation lists across the Internet.

Romeo and juliet 1996 script