Emma and Clueless in the ESL Classroom: A comparative study from a Marxist perspective

Abstract: This essay provides an understanding of why a teacher of English in Sweden can use the novel Emma (1994) and the film Clueless (1995), in comparison, to describe and use Marxist literary theory in the classroom. As there are various ways of teaching the English language to adolescents, using literature and film provides a chance for teachers to teach new terminology connected to critical theory, and to show how learners can contrast and compare the world with critical eyes. Through comparison of extractions of the famous novel and transcriptions of its contemporary adaptation that was set in the 1990s, learners are given an idea of how Marxism can be used to analyse both then and now. Also, it shows that various issues of social class were prominent in both cases, and discussable through the extracts provided, for learners to see the development of the divide between social classes. Although neither of the works are outspokenly Marxist, the ideas of social class are still prominent enough to show, as well as to compare the differences and likenesses. In the end, it was concluded that, although the comparable passages in the novel and film could be used in the setting of an English classroom in Sweden, further research regarding the comparison of the novel and film through their different media was encouraged. This was because of the lack of other essays and articles researching the comparison of Emma and Clueless to be used in a classroom setting, as well as the interesting comparison they proved to possess.