The two novellas are set in Victorian England. One of the unifying elements in the work is Alfred, Lord Tennyson's lengthy, celebrated poem In Memoriam, quoted in both novellas and important to the plot of the second. Published in 1850 and immensely popular, the poem addressed numerous Victorian concerns in the process of dealing with the poet's grief over his friend's death. One of the most important of those concerns for the Victorians and in these novellas is the impact of the work of Charles Darwin and other scientists. The nature of human life, the existence of God, and the possibility of an afterlife were called into question; "Morpho Eugenia" is more concerned with the relationship of "civilized" human society to primitive and animal societies while "The Conjugial Angel" deals with the relationship of the physical and spiritual worlds.

Both novellas also deal with marriage and family...