A Curious Beginning

Veronica subverts many expectations of Victorian society. In what ways does she support normative ideals of her time and place? What does this contribute to her character or the novel overall? Use examples from the text to support your claim.

What genre is this text? Does it have any one genre? In your answer, consider conventions of romance, mystery, thriller, detective story, historical fiction, and political intrigue. Use examples from the text to support your claim.

What does the novel suggest is the role of science in the late Victorian era? Argue how this affects another social or intellectual issue in the novel (i.e., gender, class, education as a public value, etc.).

Is there a “central” mystery in the novel? If so, is it one that is resolved in the text? How does this answer affect the novel’s status as a standalone text versus the first in a series?

What stance does the novel take regarding whether one’s life is determined by one’s birth? What would Stoker and Veronica’s opinions be on the matter, and would they differ? Use examples from the text to support your claim.

How is Queen Victoria presented in the novel as representative (or not representative) of the late Victorian era overall?

Consider Veronica and Stoker’s discussion at the Tower of London about creating a menagerie of live animals as vanity versus preserving dead animals as a matter of science. How does the novel support or reject Veronica’s position, and what are the stakes of this argument in a novel about royal inheritance?

How do cultural expectations around gender limit Veronica in comparison to other women in the text? Consider figures like Lady Cordelia or Salome to orient your argument.

Does the novel make a political argument about the aristocracy or royal family in England? If so, what is it? Use evidence from the text to support your claim.