This is my midterm paper I have written in my Folklore class. I hope it can help others who are looking to write the same kind of paper as I have written. I have researched many websites and I have put them together in this 1 paper. Hopefully this is helpful.

1. Midterm Project:
Portrait of a Folk
Group
Fifty Shades of Folklore

2. Danielle Mohl
Professor Fillmore
ENGL 2710
10/10/2021
Fifty Shades of Folklore: Portrait of a Folk Group
Fifty Shades of Grey is a fictional love story written by E.L James, an erotic romance
author from Willesden, London. It has now been over 10 years since Fifty Shades of Grey was
introduced to the world. By 2020, 15.2 million copies of Fifty Shades of Grey have been sold
around the world (1). It all started with 1 book that would later branch out into a 6-book series
with 3 box office hit movies all within the last decade. In 2012, E.L James had the leading best
seller book in romance for the Fifty Shades Series in the United States (2). I personally have fallen
in love with these books and have re-read them close to a dozen times easily. At first, I admit to
being put off by this kind of book since it was NOT my kind of style.
Honestly, this book had a bad stigma that it was “Mommy Porn” and after reading
that I was put off by the word “Porn” (3). I had imagined all these moms in robes at home sipping
their wine while in the bathtub soaking away. I had assumed it was extremely dirty and very sexual,
but it wasn’t what I expected at all reading this book. This is a love story that everyone seemed to
fall in love with. I personally fell in love with this book the second I picked it up. This is a story
about a woman that fell in love with a man and how she turned his whole life upside down. This
book would end up being bigger than the Twilight craze!

3. I remember my first introduction to this book. I was working as a machine operator and
my co-worker asked me if I had ever read Fifty Shades of Grey? I was shocked to be asked this
mainly because it was a man that asked me. I replied that I hadn’t, and he went on to tell me that I
should really read it and that it was a good book. Well I was still on the fence about the whole
thing, but I decided hey why not, what’s the harm. This was the day I fell in love with Fifty Shades
of Grey and that is how my whole story started years ago.
So, he let me borrow his Fifty Shades of Grey book, and man I didn’t put it down until I
finished. A few days passed and I borrow the second of the series, Fifty Shades Darker, and again
in a few days’ time I was done. He was in the middle of reading Fifty Shades Freed and couldn’t
let me borrow it at that time. Fortunately for me though he was awesome and bought me the whole
book series for my birthday that happened to be the same week. Same story for the third in the
series, Fifty Shades Freed, I was yet again done in a few days. I laughed and I cried over this story
of love, betrayal, trust, and most importantly the story of love at first sight. Now let’s talk about
the folklore part of this story and what happened during this time and what kind of following this
would gather.

4. The movie premier of Fifty Shades of Grey released on February 13, 2015. Woman and
even some men (and kids too, I mean come on. Really?) would come in the hundreds to see this
movie. They were all lovers of this book. This wasn’t like Twilight in the sense where there were
Team Jacob and Team Edward shirts on. It wasn’t anything close to that. It was just a group of
people that all gathered in the theater to watch this love story unfold in front of them on the big
screen. But there were some funny parts and some serious things that happened during the
premiers.
First let’s go over the funniest ones. Days after the movie premier some of the best stories
came out online. One of my favorite ones that I’m still laughing about 6 years later is some of the
stuff people left behind in the theaters. My favorite one was the leaving of cucumbers behind at
the end of the movie (4). This become almost a funny tradition, or you can even say a folklore
tradition that people started to bring cucumbers to the theaters after that story was aired. I think in
the end it was just funny and that’s why it kept continuing to happen.
Dozens of cucumbers were found quite early on after that. First off let’s just say GROSS,
but at the same time I see the humor in it, and I laugh about it to this day. There was other stuff
found that was just as nasty including: used condoms (poor person that had to clean that up), some

5. panties and worst of all handcuffs and masks (not the COVID kind mind you). There were even
stories of empty wine bottles left behind! I mean we are used to seeing candy wrappers but imagine
finding condom wrappers and cucumbers I mean come on! (4)
There were some negative sides effects to the premiers as well. There was a story about 3
woman that “allegedly” assaulted a man after he told them to “be quiet” during the screening of
Fifty Shades of Grey (5). I mean I get you want it to be quiet, but these women took it a step to far
and hurt the poor guy physically. There was some talk about a drive-in movie theater where they
were screening “SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water” and “Fifty Shades of Grey” from the
same parking lot making both visible to all ages (5). I’m sure more crazy stuff has happened at the
premiers, but assault takes the cake. Enough talk about crazy stuff lets go over the amazing love
story called Fifty Shades of Grey.
The story starts off with a young girl named Anastasia (Ana) Steele a young 21-year-old
woman who was studying English Literature at Washington State University in Vancouver,
Washington. Ana describes herself as plain and boring, not outgoing like her roommate Katherine
(Kate) Kavanagh. But that all changed when she took over an interview for Kate who was sick
with the flu. The interview was for the school newspaper who Kate was the editor for. The person
that Ana was going to interview was this mega-industrialist tycoon that is the CEO of Grey
Enterprises Holdings, Inc. named Christian Grey (6, Page 3).
Walking into GEH Ana is dumbstruck by all the beautiful woman in the office that all seem
to follow the same dress code, blonde hair and very attractive. Ana instantly feels self-conscious
about what she looks like. Finally, Ana was called into the office to only stumble across her own
two left feet and land on her knees in front of THE Christian Grey! Ana is embarrassed that she
fell but when she stands up, she is floored by this beautiful man that looks so young and is so

6. attractive. Ana knew then and there that she was attracted to Christian and for the first time in her
life she wanted a man, this man. Christian at the same time found himself thinking about Ana
sexually and lusting over this girl with brown hair.
Ana and Christian would go on to start a Submissive/Dominate relationship. Ana at first
was hesitant and nervous that Christian would hurt her, but that little devil on her shoulder was
curious to explore that kinky side. Little did Christian know but Ana was a virgin! He was shocked
and couldn’t understand why someone as beautiful as her hadn’t been touched yet. Ana at that
moment felt ready to give her virginity to this handsome man standing in front of her. Over time
Ana would experience how amazing sex felt and wondered if it was like this for everyone.
The introduction of sex toys and being a Submissive was something Ana had never
experienced but was all too willing for this man that she would do anything for. Ana quickly would
look forward to playing with Christian in his Red Room of Pain. Their relationship was supposed
to be strictly a Submissive and Dominate one, but they found a way to tie that with love which
opened Christians eyes for the first time. Christian and Ana would start a relationship that wasn’t
traditional at all but in some sense, it was perfect for them at the same time. Ana had never been

7. in love and Christian has never felt worthy of love before. They have both never been in a serious
relationship in their lives. They would go on and learn how to be in a relationship including the
fights, betrayal, and worst of all not knowing each other’s limits. They would find themselves
smiling and being happy and enjoying each other’s company and soon the rest was history, both
Ana and Christian were in some sense in love even if both wouldn’t admit it.
Now you ask me how does Fifty Shades of Grey fit into Folklore? People gathering to
watch their favorite movie can be considered Folklore yes, but what I consider the folklore of Fifty
Shades of Grey to be is the Submissive and Dominate side. This is widely done around the world
and with the books and movies coming out people were curious and got in touch with their kinkier
side. Personally, I feel it connects you and your partner and puts you into a closer intimate
relationship where you’re aware of their needs and wants as well as your own. I would say the
members of this Folk group are Sub’s and Dom’s, but also people that like to involve toys into
their sex lives. It doesn’t matter the age, gender, race, or even what kind of relationship you’re in
because a Sub and Dom relationship can be done by all.
The lore of kinkier and perhaps crazier sex is enough to make people continue. This book
and movie series started out with stigmas that it was dirty and was “Mommy Porn”, in my
experience it was nothing like that (3). It was a love story that yes did include sex toys and a
Dom/Sub relationship, but reading between the lines you can tell they’re like everyone else in a
relationship who are trying new things out to see what they like and don’t like. My group in this
is from an individual perspective because I wanted to be in love like Ana and Christian. I wanted
to be with a man that was just as head over hills with me as Christian was with Ana. I’m also a big
advocate that being with someone should be fun and exciting and if introducing a lifestyle like this
works then I say, hey go for it!

8. In my ending notes, E.L. James is an amazing author who I’m sure has inspired so many
people in the world. I love the story that she wrote and how it brought so many people together in
the same theater to watch the story we waited so long for. I love that people got in touch with their
kinkier side and were wanting to try to be more adventurous. This story has inspired me that real
love was out there and there is no time frame if its right. That adding a little bit of Sub/Dom into
your relationship isn’t a bad thing. Love at first sight is a real thing and it really does exist. I think
this book has opened a lot of doors for people to explore what kind of stuff they like sexually and
to explore a little which there is no harm honestly.

9. Works Cited
1. Winik, Marion. E.L. James’s Fifty Shades Series has Come to an End. what have we
Learned from this Provocative Romance?: With “Freed,” James Wraps Things Up with a
Surprisingly Feminist Message. ProQuest. Jun 29, 2021,
https://libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/e-
l-james-s-fifty-shades-series-has-come-end-what/docview/2546428089/se-
2?accountid=28671
2. Statisa. Best-selling books in the category ‘romance’ in the United States in 2012.
January 11, 2013. https://www-statista-com.libprox1.slcc.edu/statistics/250622/romance-
bestsellers-in-the-us/
3. Tripodi, Francesca. Fifty Shades of Consent. Taylor & Francis Online. January 11, 2017.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14680777.2017.1261846
4. Peters, Lucia. Wacky Things Left Behind After ‘Fifty Shades’. Bustle. February 16, 2015.
https://www.bustle.com/articles/64694-fifty-shades-of-grey-audiences-have-left-some-
pretty-wild-things-behind-according-to-reddits-movie
5. Ungerman, Alex. ‘Fifty Shades’ of Crazy: The 3 Most insane Things That Happened
Opening Weekend. ET. February 17, 2015.
http://www.google.com/amp/s/www.etonline.com/news/159858_most_insane_things_tha
t_happened_on_fifty_shades_opening_weekend%3famp
6. James, E L. Fifty Shades of Grey. Vintage Books. 2015.
7. Google.com. Fifty Shades of Grey Photos.
Fifty Shades of Folklore © 2021 by Danielle Mohl is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0