Fifty Shades of Why

August 10, 2012

Anonymous asked: Ana/Bella are shells of characters that the reader can easily slip into. She's clumsy, awkward, and shy because EVERY teenage girl is clumsy, awkward, and shy. She has this thing with old lit because EVERY teenage girl has weird quirks/ likes something weird. So when reading, they can make up the rest of Ana/Bella's personality according to their own characteristics.

Have y’all read The Oatmeal’s treatise on how Twilight works? He makes the same points you did about Bella, but with pictures.

I think Bella is easier for readers to slip into than Ana is.

Every teenage girl is clumsy, awkward, and shy sometimes (unless she’s superhumanly well-adjusted), but most teenage girls don’t have anxiety so crippling that they’re afraid of other people. As someone who’s been a whiny teenager with anxiety issues, I can relate to Ana—but that doesn’t mean I like her or want to take on the role that she has in Fifty Shades of Grey.

Many of the women who like Fifty Shades aren’t teenagers, either. They’re adults. Explain that one to me.

I personally believe that Ana’s love for old literature was put in place to make both her and E.L. seem ~intelligent and special~, as well as give Ana some kind of character trait beyond unparalleled shallowness. That doesn’t mean it worked.

It’s important to keep in mind that Twilight started out as a self-insert-type vanity novel and that Fifty Shades of Grey began as fanfiction. Neither Stephenie Meyer nor E.L. James had much of an audience in mind while they were writing their debut novels. This is particularly clear in 50 Shades, where E.L. constantly alternates between using obscure, technical words (albeit incorrectly) and between reminding her audience of things that are supremely obvious.

Filed under asks anonymous self-insert Mary Sue no The Oatmeal social anxiety anxiety whiny juvenile emotional maturity

5 notes

July 29, 2012

agirlreads asked: I read your entire blog in one night. This has made my day. It really amazes me that something like this got published. It is so vapid and whiny. The writing I've seen in this book reminds me of a fanfiction I wrote in high school, one that I am ashamed of now. I was 16 at the time and I lacked experience. This woman is clearly much older and should know better. Seriously, did this book actually have a real editor?

Your eyes (and your brain) must hurt now, agirlreads.

The writing in this book reminds me of things I wrote when I was twelve. You and I are in the same boat.

I do not have a good answer to your editor question. The internet has been unhelpful with regard to Fifty Shades’ editor.
Followers?

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