50 Shades of O

Everyone from an 18-year-old college girl to their 70-something Grandmother has heard of 50 Shades of Grey. This Twilight inspired fan fiction has gone on to become the fastest-selling paperback of all time. Everyone knows of its success, what many people don't realize is the story is very similar to Anne Desclos' (superior) Histoire d'O (Story of O). Anne Desclos used the pseudonym, Pauline Réage.

Let's look at the similarities:
Both feature a female lead character, who has a "master" - in O's case she has at least two.
Both are about a young woman's sexual awakening
Both feature male characters who are wealthy
Both feature characters taking part in Sadomasochism and bondage.
Both are by female authors.
Both feature submissive female characters 

Some of the similarities my seem tenuous, but I find it interesting how ideas get reused and in some cases, changed to be geared towards a new audience. There could be an equally long list of differences. The most obvious being the era each novel is set in.

It is worth seeking out the film version of Story of O by Emmanuelle director, Just Jaeckin. It features the lush costumes, panoramic scenery and style of Emmanuelle, but is little bit more depraved in its depiction of sexual activity. The film, Story of O was not released in England on video until 2000, the original 1975 cinema release was banned. It received a limited cinema re-release in 2000 - to my knowledge it only played one cinema in London.