The novellas possess different storylines and subjects but they share a similar setting and the social and philosophical matters of the era. Both set in 19th century Victorian England, the stories delve into the orthodoxies at variance with the paradigm shift in science and religion. Byatt offers a glimpse into the era by exploring Victorian morality, romance, and the scientific and philosophical debates on Darwinism and spirituality. The first novella Morpho Eugenia is a Darwinian tale that demonstrates the relationship between human behavior and the social life of insects. Thus, draws parallels between human relationships and their natural environment as the prose becomes scientific in nature. The Conjugial Angel on the other hand also to an extent explores the tension between religion and science by tackling the mysteries of spiritualism.
The title Morpho Eugenia has double meaning as it refers to a species of butterfly and also the name of the narrative’s protagonist Eugenia. The story focuses on the naturalist William Adamson who studies social insects particularly ants and bees. After being shipwrecked, his life gets entangled with the Alabaster family as he marries their daughter. Accordingly, William gradually grasps the family dynamic of the Alabasters as he unearths the past and dirty secrets in the family. The narrative juxtaposes the lives of humans and social insects to decipher the nature of human interaction and behavior. Hence the story illustrates the law of nature that is at work in the natural world that stretches across species.
The Conjugial Angel digs into the world of séances, life and death, and spiritualism in general. The tale involves a group of individuals engrossed with the idea of séances to communicate with the dead. It focuses on their unresolved matters with the dead or their lives in the present which is affected by the loss. Akin to the first novella the center of the conflict revolve around romance and the relationship between loved ones or family. Thus, introduces matters of the heart alongside big philosophical issues that were subjects of debate during the era.
