Fans may not be aware, but the best-selling series about a successful businessman and secret BDSM sadist with childhood trauma is actually based on what Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James thought Twilight’s Edward would be like if he was a human tycoon and his secret was sex dungeons instead of sucking blood.
Because Fifty Shades originated as fanfiction of Stephanie Meyer’s YA series, there are many parallels between the two: both in plot and characterization. People who watched the two independently may not have even noticed the similarities, but once they’re pointed out, they can’t be ignored.
Bella and Ana both have old-timey, classical names (Isabella and Anastasia) but go by less ornate nicknames: a statement on their love of simple things. They dislike attention and lavish gifts, but both date men (Edward and Christian) that bestow lavish gifts upon them, sometimes in cringeworthy ways.
Both leads are brunette bookworms with lip-biting and balance issues. They’re tripping constantly, which sparks the protective nature of their male counterparts. Their parent figures are both separated and their immature mothers remarried. They’re also both modest, and neither of them has had serious boyfriends or sexual partners before meeting the male leads.
As many people know, Twilight takes place in the rainy small town of Forks, Washington – one of the few places vampires feel safer because of the near-constant cloud cover. Fifty Shades of Grey, subsequently, takes place in Seattle, Washington.
Jessica may not be Bella’s best friend in the world, but the two spend a significant amount of time with each other. However, the two have almost completely opposite interests and personalities. Jessica is a bubbly, talkative cheerleader and Bella is a demure, book-loving wallflower. Somehow the two get along and Bella considers them close.
Similarly, Ana is best friends and roommates with Kate: a bubbly, talkative journalist. Bella and Ana befriend Jessica and Kate as students at a new school. For Bella, it’s high school, and for Ana it’s college. Both friend characters are even the valedictorians for their respective graduations (although, this was a Twilight book-to-movie change, and in the books it’s Eric).
The Mysterious Lead Male Character Has A Secret World
Split image showing Edward in Twilight and Christian in Fifty Shades of Grey
Edward Cullen may have originated the “brooding, old-fashion guy with a secret and a painful past” but Christian Grey follows the blueprint. For starters, both male leads are members of an adopted family – the Cullens and the Greys – and both harbor the pain of a traumatic past.
The Best Guy Friend Is In Love With The Main Character
Split image showing Jacob in Twilight, and Jose in Fifty Shades of Grey
The Twilight love triangle is one of the most well-known aspects of the franchise. Jacob, Bella’s happy-go-lucky friend, becomes hopelessly in love with her and tries to convince her to be with him instead of Edward.
Ana’s love triangle with José is much more streamlined and less reciprocal than Bella’s – but it’s still there. While Bella has some sort of emotional attachment to Jacob, Ana strictly sees José as “the brother she never had.” Christian, however, recognizes José’s attraction to Ana and doesn’t like it. José tries to kiss Ana in the first book, and Christian stops him. He then uses Ana as the subject of his photography gallery in the second book, and Christian buys the entire collection.
The Bitter Rival Plots To Even The Score
Split image showing Victoria in Twilight
