Fifty Shades ( novel series ) - wikipedia Fifty Shades ( novel series ) For the film series, see Fifty Shades ( film series ). Fifty Shades Trilogy pack set Fifty Shades of Grey Fifty Shades Darker Fifty Shades Freed Grey Author E.L. James Country United Kingdom Language English Genre Erotic romance Publisher Vintage Books Published 2011 -- 2015 Media type Print ( Paperback ) The Fifty Shades trilogy is a series of erotic novels by E.L. James. The trilogy consists of Fifty Shades of Grey ( 2011 ), Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed ( 2012 ). The trilogy traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business magnate, Christian Grey. Fifty Shades of Grey, Darker and Freed follow the relationship between the protagonist, Ana, and Christian Grey. Grey introduces Ana to the world of BDSM. James has spoken of her shock at the success of the book, `` The explosion of interest has taken me completely by surprise '' she said. James has described the Fifty Shades trilogy as `` my midlife crisis, writ large. All my fantasies in there, and that 's it. '' She did not start to write until January 2009, as she revealed while still active on FanFiction.Net : `` I started writing in January 2009 after I finished the Twilight saga, and I have n't stopped since. I discovered Fan Fiction in August 2009. Since then I have written my two fics and plan on doing at least one more. After that... who knows ? '' In August 2013, sales of the trilogy saw James top the Forbes ' list of the highest - earning authors with earnings of $95 m which included $5 m for the film rights to Fifty Shades of Grey. However, the books have also been largely panned by critics, with the first entry in particular `` being ridiculed by virtually every critic who has read it. '' An additional fourth book in the series entitled Grey was released on June 18, 2015. The book follows the events of Fifty Shades of Grey but from the perspective of Christian Grey. Contents 1 Plot overview 1.1 The Fifty Shades Trilogy 1.1. 1 Fifty Shades of Grey 1.1. 2 Fifty Shades Darker 1.1. 3 Fifty Shades Freed 1.2 Grey 2 Main characters 3 Critical reception 3.1 Depiction of BDSM 3.2 Censorship or removal of books 4 Film adaptations 5 See also 6 Further reading 7 References 8 External links Plot overview The Fifty Shades Trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey Main article : Fifty Shades of Grey Fifty Shades Darker Main article : Fifty Shades Darker Fifty Shades Freed Main article : Fifty Shades Freed Grey Main article : Grey : Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian Main characters Christian Grey : 27 - year - old incredibly successful, wealthy entrepreneur and CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc. Anastasia `` Ana '' Steele : College graduate, PA to Jack Hyde and primary love interest and wife of Christian Grey. Elena Lincoln : Christian 's longtime friend and business partner. She is described as a tall, elegant, sexy, regal platinum blonde and appears to be in her late 30s or early 40s. Elliot Grey : Adopted son of Carrick Grey and Dr. Grace Trevelyan - Grey, and elder brother to Christian Grey and Mia Grey. Mia Grey : Adopted daughter of Carrick Grey and Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey and younger sister of Christian Grey and Elliot Grey. Katherine ' Kate ' Kavanagh : Ana 's best friend and roommate. Jack Hyde : Commissioning Editor at Seattle Independent Publishing ( SIP ). Leila Williams : A former submissive of Christian. Jason Taylor : Christian 's most trusted bodyguard and the head of Christian 's security team. Dr. Grace Trevelyan - Grey : Christian 's adoptive mother. Carrick Grey : Christian 's adoptive father. Carla May Wilks : Ana 's mother. Ethan Kavanagh : Kate Kavanagh 's older brother. Critical reception Salman Rushdie said about the book : `` I 've never read anything so badly written that got published. It made Twilight look like War and Peace. '' Maureen Dowd described the book in The New York Times as being written `` like a Brontë devoid of talent, '' and said it was `` dull and poorly written. '' Jesse Kornbluth of The Huffington Post said : `` As a reading experience, Fifty Shades... is a sad joke, puny of plot ''. Princeton professor April Alliston wrote, `` Though no literary masterpiece, Fifty Shades is more than parasitic fan fiction based on the recent Twilight vampire series. '' Entertainment Weekly writer Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the book a `` B + '' rating and praised it for being `` in a class by itself. '' British author Jenny Colgan in The Guardian wrote `` It is jolly, eminently readable and as sweet and safe as BDSM ( bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism ) erotica can be without contravening the trade descriptions act '' and also praised the book for being `` more enjoyable '' than other `` literary erotic books ''. However, The Telegraph criticized the book as `` treacly cliché '' but also wrote that the sexual politics in Fifty Shades of Grey will have female readers `` discussing it for years to come. '' A reviewer for the Ledger - Enquirer described the book as guilty fun and escapism, but that it `` also touches on one aspect of female existence ( female submission ). And acknowledging that fact -- maybe even appreciating it -- should n't be a cause for guilt. '' The New Zealand Herald stated that the book `` will win no prizes for its prose '' and that `` there are some exceedingly awful descriptions, '' but it was also an easy read ; `` ( If you only ) can suspend your disbelief and your desire to -- if you 'll pardon the expression -- slap the heroine for having so little self respect, you might enjoy it. '' The Columbus Dispatch stated that, `` Despite the clunky prose, James does cause one to turn the page. '' Metro News Canada wrote that `` suffering through 500 pages of this heroine 's inner dialogue was torturous, and not in the intended, sexy kind of way ''. Jessica Reaves, of the Chicago Tribune, wrote that the `` book 's source material is n't great literature '', noting that the novel is `` sprinkled liberally and repeatedly with asinine phrases '', and described it as `` depressing ''. The book garnered some accolades. In December 2012, it won both `` Popular Fiction '' and `` Book of the Year '' categories in the UK National Book Awards. In that same month, Publishers Weekly named E.L. James the ' Publishing Person of the Year ', causing an `` outcry from the literary world ''. For example, `` What was Publishers Weekly thinking ? '' asked Los Angeles Times writer Carolyn Kellogg, while a New York Daily News headline read, `` Civilization ends : E.L. James named Publishers Weekly 's ' Person of the Year '. '' Depiction of BDSM Fifty Shades trilogy has also attracted criticism due to its depictions of BDSM, with Katie Roiphe of Newsweek asking `` But why, for women especially, would free will be a burden ?... It may be that power is not always that comfortable, even for those of us who grew up in it ; it may be that equality is something we want only sometimes and in some places and in some arenas ; it may be that power and all of its imperatives can be boring. '' Zap2it 's Andrea Reiher expressed frustration at Roiphe 's depiction of the series, stating that `` ( b ) eing submissive sexually is not tantamount to being the victim of abuse '' or that they 're `` giving up their power or their equality with their partner ''. Other sites such as Jezebel have responded to the article, with Jezebel listing reasons for Fifty Shades of Grey 's popularity, stating that `` the vast majority of fans fawn over the emotional relationship Anastasia and Christian have, not about the sex. '' In an interview with Salon, several dominatrices have responded that while submission can be an escape from daily stresses, they also frequently have male clients and that trust is a big factor in dominant / submissive relationships. One interviewed former dominatrix and author, Melissa Febos, stated that even if the book 's popularity was a result of women 's `` current anxieties about equality '' that it `` does n't mean that it 's ' evidence of unhappiness, or an invalidation of feminism, '... it might actually be a sign of progress that millions of women are so hungrily pursuing sexual fantasies independent of men. '' Writing in The Huffington Post, critic Soraya Chemaly argued that interest in the series was not a trend, but squarely within the tradition and success of the romance category which is driven by tales of virgins, damaged men and submission / dominance themes. Instead, she wrote, the books are notable not for transgressive sex but for how women are using technology to subvert gendered shame by exploring explicit sexual content privately using e-readers. Instead of submission fantasies representing a post-feminist discomfort with power and free will, women 's open consumption, sharing and discussion of sexual content is a feminist success. At the beginning of the media hype, Dr. Drew and sexologist Logan Levkoff discussed the book on The Today Show, about whether Fifty Shades perpetuated violence against women ; Levkoff said that while that is an important subject, this trilogy had nothing to do with it -- this was a book about a consensual relationship. Dr. Drew commented that the book was `` horribly written '' in addition to being `` disturbing '' but stated that `` if the book enhances women 's real - life sex lives and intimacy, so be it. '' Amy Bonomi, a Human Development and Family Studies professor argues that the relationship portrayed is non-consensual : `` Unable to bear the thought of being alone, Christian employs strategies to `` trap '' Anastasia, including keeping his violent tendencies private, limiting Anastasia 's availability of help and support from her friends and family through his nondisclosure agreement and through verbal and nonverbal intimidation, and attempts to convince Anastasia that she finds his punishments pleasurable '' Censorship or removal of books In March 2012, branches of the public library in Brevard County, Florida, removed copies of Fifty Shades of Grey from their shelves, with an official stating that it did not meet the selection criteria for the library and that reviews for the book had been poor. A representative for the library stated that it was due to the book 's sexual content and that other libraries had declined to purchase copies for their branches. Deborah Caldwell - Stone of the American Library Association commented that `` If the only reason you do n't select a book is that you disapprove of its content, but there is demand for it, there 's a question of whether you 're being fair. In a public library there is usually very little that would prevent a book from being on the shelf if there is a demand for the information. '' Brevard County public libraries later made their copies available to their patrons due to public demand. In Macaé, Brazil, Judge Raphael Queiroz Campos ruled in January 2013 that bookstores throughout the city must either remove the series entirely from their shelves or ensure that the books are wrapped and placed out of the reach of minors. The judge stated that he was prompted to make such an order after seeing children reading them, basing his decision on a law stating that `` magazines and publications whose content is improper or inadequate for children and adolescents can only be sold if sealed and with warnings regarding their content ''. Film adaptations Main articles : Fifty Shades ( film series ), Fifty Shades of Grey ( film ), Fifty Shades Darker ( film ), and Fifty Shades Freed ( film ) A film adaptation of the book was produced by Focus Features, Michael De Luca Productions, and Trigger Street Productions, with Universal Pictures and Focus Features securing the rights to the trilogy in March 2012. Universal is also the film 's distributor. Charlie Hunnam was originally cast in the role of Christian Grey alongside Dakota Johnson in the role of Anastasia Steele, but Hunnam gave up the part in October 2013, with Jamie Dornan announced for the role on 23 October. The film was released on 13 February 2015, and became an immediate success, making it to # 1 at the box office with $558.5 million. However, critical reactions were generally negative. After the first film premiered at a special fan screening in New York City on 6 February 2015, director Sam Taylor - Johnson confirmed two sequels to be succeeded after the first film, with Fifty Shades Darker to be released February 10, 2017. See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fifty Shades ( franchise ). BDSM in culture and media Sadism and masochism in fiction Further reading Upstone, Sara ( 2016 ). `` Beyond the bedroom : motherhood in E.L. James 's Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy ''. Frontiers : A Journal of Women Studies. University of Nebraska Press. 37 ( 2 ) : 138 -- 164. JSTOR 10.5250 / fronjwomestud. 37.2. 0138. References Jump up ^ Bentley, Paul ( 17 June 2012 ). `` ' Mummy porn ' Fifty Shades Of Grey outstrips Harry Potter to become fastest selling paperback of all time ''. Daily Mail. London. Jump up ^ Julie Bosman ( 21 May 2012 ). `` Libraries Debate Stocking ' Fifty Shades of Grey ' Trilogy ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ `` The Shy British Mum Behind 50 Shades of Grey ''. Time Magazine. 29 March 2012. Jump up ^ Ryan James Girdusky ( February 13, 2015 ). `` ' Fifty Shades ' is not going to ruin your daughters ''. Fox News. Retrieved February 22, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Fifty Shades of Grey author EL James -- Exclusive interview '' ( 16 July 2012 ) Shropshire Star. Retrieved 16 July 2012 Jump up ^ ' Fifty Shades ' author ' stunned ' at success of erotic trilogy Archived 2012 - 04 - 20 at the Wayback Machine. TODAY MSNBC Jump up ^ The Lost History of Fifty Shades of Grey Jump up ^ `` E.L. James Seals A Spot On List of Britain 's Richest Authors ''. Lia. Retrieved 23 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Fifty Shades makes EL James top - earning author ''. BBC News. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013. Jump up ^ Hill, Libby ( September 13, 2016 ). `` First ' Fifty Shades Darker ' trailer filled with lots of plot, little kissing ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 10, 2017. `` The books were critically savaged hot messes that sold over 100 million copies for the sex. '' Jump up ^ Lyall, Sarah ( February 11, 2015 ). `` ' Fifty Shades of Grey, ' the Movie, as a Fairy Tale ''. The New York Times. Retrieved February 10, 2017. Jump up ^ Irvine, Chris ( 9 October 2012 ). `` Sir Salman Rushdie : ' Fifty Shades of Grey makes Twilight look like War and Peace ' ''. The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 30 April 2013. Jump up ^ Dowd, Maureen ( 31 March 2012 ). `` She 's Fit to Be Tied ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2013. Jump up ^ Kornbluth, Jesse ( 12 March 2012 ). `` ' Fifty Shades Of Grey ' : Is The Hottest - Selling Book In America Really Just ' S&M For Dummies ? ' ''. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 30 April 2013. Jump up ^ `` ' Mommy porn ' novel has retro message ''. CNN. 29 March 2012. Jump up ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa ( 21 March 2012 ). `` Fifty Shades of Grey ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 June 2012. Jump up ^ Colgan, Jenny ( 13 April 2012 ). `` Fifty Shades of Grey ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 June 2012. Jump up ^ Barnett, Laura ( 13 April 2012 ). `` Mommy porn ? : Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James : review ''. The Daily Telegraph. London. Jump up ^ Sorich, Sonya ( 11 April 2012 ). `` Fifty Shades of Grey : The undressed review ''. Ledger - Enquirer. Jump up ^ Sheehy, Christine ( 13 April 2012 ). `` The ' mommy porn ' seducing women ''. The New Zealand Herald. Jump up ^ Osterheldt, Jenee ( 26 March 2012 ). `` Book Review -- Fifty Shades of Grey : Sultry subject spells success ''. The Columbus Dispatch. Jump up ^ Napier, Jessica ( 16 April 2012 ). `` Fifty Shades of Grey as dull as a razor blade commercial ''. Metro News Canada. Jump up ^ Reaves, Jessica ( 14 April 2012 ). `` Fifty shades of retrograde ''. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 25 April 2012. Jump up ^ Flood, Alison ( 5 December 2012 ). `` EL James comes out on top at National Book awards ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 December 2012. Jump up ^ Flood, Alison ( 26 December 2012 ). `` Fifty Shades of Grey voted the most popular book of 2012 ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 December 2012. Jump up ^ Driscoll, Molly ( 3 December 2012 ). `` EL James as ' Publishing Person of the Year ' draws outcry from literary world ''. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 5 December 2012. Jump up ^ Roiphe, Katie ( 15 April 2012 ). `` Spanking Goes Mainstream ''. The Daily Beast. Newsweek. Jump up ^ Reiher, Andrea ( 16 April 2012 ). `` Katie Roiphe 's Fifty Shades of Grey diatribe misses several points ''. Zap2it. Jump up ^ `` Fifty Shades of Grey 's Success Has Nothing to Do with Repressed Feminist Fantasies ''. Jezebel. 16 April 2012. Jump up ^ Tomazos, Kostas ; O'Gorman, Kevin ; MacLaren, Andrew C ( June 2017 ). `` From leisure to tourism : How BDSM demonstrates the transition of deviant pursuits to mainstream products ''. Tourism Management. 60 : 30 -- 41. doi : 10.1016 / j. tourman. 2016.10. 018. Jump up ^ Clark - Flory, Tracy ( 20 April 2012 ). `` Fifty Shades of Grey : Dominatrixes ( sic ) take on Roiphe ''. Salon. Jump up ^ Chemaly, Soraya ( 20 April 2012 ). `` Virgins, Bondage and A Shameful Media Fail ''. The Huffington Post. Jump up ^ Logan Levkoff on The Today Show -- Fifty Shades of Grey on YouTube Jump up ^ `` Dr. Drew : 50 Shades of Grey pathological, poorly written ''. WTOP - FM. 22 May 2012. Jump up ^ Bonomi, Amy E., Lauren E. Altenburger, and Nicole L. Walton. `` ' Double Crap ! ' Abuse And Harmed Identity In Fifty Shades Of Grey. '' Journal of Women 's Health ( 15409996 ) 22.9 ( 2013 ) : 733 - 744. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 20 Apr. 2016. ^ Jump up to : Schwartz, Meredith ( 11 May 2012 ). `` Florida County Pulls Fifty Shades of Grey From Shelves ''. Library Journal. Jump up ^ Clarke, Suzan ( 30 May 2012 ). `` Florida County Library Lifts Ban on 50 Shades of Grey ''. ABC News. Jump up ^ `` BRAZIL JUDGE ORDERS ' 50 SHADES OF GREY ' SEALED ''. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` Brazil judge orders ' 50 Shades of Grey ' removed ''. USA Today. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013. Jump up ^ `` Brazilian bondage browsers tied down by court order ''. Global Legal Post. Retrieved 1 March 2013. Jump up ^ Fleming, Mike ( 26 March 2012 ). `` Universal Pictures and Focus Features win Fifty Shades of Grey ''. Deadline.com. PMC. Retrieved 7 May 2012. Jump up ^ Miller, Julie ( 10 July 2012 ). `` Fifty Shades of Grey Film Gets Oscar - Nominated Producers, Christian Grey -- Casting Inspiration ''. Vanity Fair ( online ). Retrieved 12 August 2013. Jump up ^ Fleming, Mike ( 26 March 2012 ). `` Universal Pictures and Focus Features win Fifty Shades of Grey ''. Deadline.com. PMC. Retrieved 7 May 2012. Jump up ^ `` Fifty Shades Of Grey Movie Casts Dakota Johnson In a Lead Role ''. EntertainmentWise ( Yahoo ! UK ). Archived from the original on January 5, 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2013. Jump up ^ Rice, Lynette ( 2 September 2013 ). `` ' Fifty Shades of Grey ' casts Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 3 September 2013. Jump up ^ `` Charlie Hunnam : Quitting Fifty Shades of Grey Was `` Heartbreaking '' - Us Weekly ``. usmagazine.com. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015. Jump up ^ Kroll, Justin ( 23 October 2013 ). `` Jamie Dornan Will Play Christian Grey in ' Fifty Shades of Grey ' ''. Variety. Retrieved 24 October 2013. Jump up ^ `` Fifty Shades of Grey Reviews ''. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 13, 2015. Jump up ^ Schumann, Rebecka ( 6 February 2015 ). `` ' Fifty Shades of Grey ' Sequels Confirmed ; Fans React to ' Fifty Shades Darker ' and ' Fifty Shades Freed ' Movie Announcement ''. International Business Times. Retrieved 6 February 2015. External links Official author page Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James Novels Fifty Shades of Grey Fifty Shades Darker Fifty Shades Freed Grey : Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian Film series Films Fifty Shades of Grey Fifty Shades Darker Fifty Shades Freed Music Fifty Shades of Grey `` Earned It '' `` Love Me like You Do '' Fifty Shades Darker `` I Do n't Wanna Live Forever '' `` Not Afraid Anymore '' Parodies Fifty Shades of Oy Vey : A Parody Spank ! The Fifty Shades Parody Fifty Shades of Black Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fifty_Shades_(novel_series)&oldid=806430738 '' Categories : BDSM literature British erotic novels Fan fiction works Novels set in Seattle Women 's erotica and pornography Works based on Twilight series Fifty Shades Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Commons category without a link on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch 한국어 Latviešu ไทย Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 22 October 2017, at 00 : 16. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: how many books in the fifty shades of grey series
Answer: trilogy