Bella and Ana: What's the Difference?

I’m not nearly as embarrassed as I should be about the fact that I read both the Fifty Shades trilogy and the first book in the Twilight series within a two-month period. In doing so, I realised that one author, whether intentionally or otherwise, completely copied the other in her characterisation of the lead female of the story.

Let me begin by pointing out the similarities in the names of the leading ladies. In Fifty Shades, we have Anastasia Steele, who goes by Ana for short. In Twilight, the main female is Isabella Swan, who goes by Bella for short. Seriously? The similarities don't even come close to ending there. Both are described as plain looking and extremely pale with mousy, long brown hair. Both girls apparently are never hungry and rarely eat, sometimes only at the urging of their beaus, so are rail-thin. They both claim to completely lack grace when it comes to attempting to play sports.

Even their interests coincide. Ana and Bella both share quite frequently during their narrations that they love literature, especially the classics, and spend a good deal of their free time reading. They both grew up as outcasts in a way, lacking many friends and not dating much if at all. They are also both old souls.

Aside from the fact that one is a vampire, the men with whom these similar ladies fall in love are also surprisingly similar. Both have classic, somewhat-antiquated names. Edward and Christian. Both spend a substantial amount of time warning the leading ladies that they are dangerous and that they should “keep away from them.” Both are rich and drive fancy cars and save the main females from peril multiple times. Both, of course, are “gorgeous” and “flawless” and drive other females crazy, making the “plain” and “ordinary” women they choose so confused as to why they chose them.

Even the SETTINGS of the stories are almost the same. Both take place in the Northwestern United States, in Washington. Bella and Ana take trips to Seattle. Both have mothers who are divorced and who live in far away states.

In conclusion, Bella and Ana are clearly the same person.