If you thought
that Erica James’ literary aspirations have only seen the light of day in the
form of her ‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy, you are not entirely correct. We say,
entirely, because most of us might not have heard the name Snowqueens Icedragon.
It was her pseudonym, till she decided to abbreviate her name to E.L. James and
write the first instalment of her ‘Fifty Shades....’ trilogy. Under her
pseudonym, Snowqueens Icedragon, she wrote another fan fiction, which went on
to become the foundation of her most commercially successful literary creation.
Though most of
us now know that ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ started as a fan fiction, quite on the
lines of Twilight, a love story between a human girl and a vampire boy, written
by Stephanie Meyer. The ‘Twilight’ series have also been adapted into films,
which again have been commercially viable. But even as we sit and discuss the
similarities that might have existed between ‘Twilight’ and ‘Fifty Shades of
Grey’, there is another novel by E.L. James which has to be considered when
drawing parallels.
Entitled ‘Master
of the Universe’ or MotU, this novel bears a stark resemblance to ‘Fifty Shades....’
and hence it can be concluded that it formed a foundation on which the
successful high-rise of ‘Fifty Shades...’ was constructed. When we take a close
look at both the novels, we will hardly miss the ingenious and watermark left
on the pages by the author, E.L. James. Since both MotU and ‘Fifty...’ rely
heavily on each other, and have elements which have been borrowed from
‘Twilight’ as well, there are chances, that the faithful readers of all the
three novels will be able to draw the necessary comparisons.
To start off
with the comparisons ourselves, we can easily say that some characters and the
traits they display along with the relationship they share, are the same, or in
the least identical in both ‘Master of the Universe’ and FSoG, or ‘Fifty Shades
of Grey’. The name Bella Swan will of course ring bells, (thanks to Twilight)
and that very same name was also used in MotU, but was thankfully changed to
Anastasia Steele in FSoG.
Even if you have
not read the novel (too bad, actually), you will know that she is one of the
lead characters, ion both the novel and the film, the other lead character
being Christian Grey, who was Edward Cullen in both Meyer’s ‘Twilight’ and Snowqueens
Icedragon’s ‘Master of the...’. Apart from the major characters and their names
and relationships which have been touched upon and changed, the back stories of
how the characters met, and other events are also strikingly dissimilar.
Hence, you can’t
read Twilight and expect to catch a glimpse of ‘Fifty Shades...’ and ‘Master of
the Universe’ and vice-versa. Though there are elements that these three novels
share since they follow the fan fiction mode, each has its own unique flavour
and charm and you just have to have your own copy to see it for yourself.
