Who could have ever though that Victor Frankenstein could have fallen victim of his own experiments? Alisa Kwitney did it with Cadaver & Queen, a book that tells a new version of the famous 1818 story by Mary Shelley.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is one of the most famous and important novels of the Gothic Genre. It is a literary genre with particular characteristic and roles that have been skilfully used in this fantasy retelling published for the first time in 2018 by Harlequin Teen.
THE PLOT
When Lizzie Lavenza enrolled at Ingold as its first female medical student, she knew she wouldn’t have an easy time. From class demands to being an outsider among her male cohorts, she’ll have to go above and beyond to prove herself. So when she stumbles across what appears to be a faulty Bio-mechanical-one of the mechanized cadavers created to service the school-she jumps at the chance to fix it and get ahead in the program.
Only this Bio-mechanical isn’t like the others. Where they are usually empty-minded and perfectly obedient, this one seems to have thoughts, feelings… and self-awareness.
Soon Lizzie realizes that it is Victor Frankenstein-a former student who died under mysterious circumstances. Victor, it seems, still has a spark of human intelligence inside him, along with memories of things he discovered before his untimely death…and a suspicion that he was murdered to keep that information from getting out. Suddenly Lizzie finds herself intertwined in dark secrets and sabotage that put her life, and the lives of Victor and their friends, in danger. But Lizzie’s determined to succeed-even if that means fighting an enemy who threatens the entire British Empire.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alisa Kwitney is an American writer; she was born and lives in New York with her husband and her two children. She studied at the Columbia University. He worked as an editor for Vertigo, the mature/dark fantasy branch of DC Comics before becoming a freelance writer. Among her works, there are YA novels, graphic novels and novels for adults. Cadaver & Queen is her first Young Adult.
THE HONORABLE HERO AND THE PASSIONATE HEROINE
Who has read Mary Shelley’s novel knows who Victor Frankenstein is. He is the Swiss scientist, the overreacher who overcomes the natural laws giving life to the so-called “creature”. In this new version of the story, Victor is not that scientist yet but anyway he works in the science field. In fact, he is a student. He is the most talented student of the most prestigious school of medicine of England, the Ingold School.
He is described as a handsome young man with blue eyes and black hair who unfortunately falls victim of those that would be his own experiments in the original novels. This means that from the creator he becomes the creature for mysterious circumstances that are explained in the story. Beside him, there is Elisabeth Lavenza, the first and the only female student of medicine of Ingold, daughter of the scientist who invented the magnetometer, the technological device used to recalibrate the magnetic fields.
Elisabeth and Victor are the protagonists of the story. Elisabeth, nicknamed Lizzie, is the typical heroine of the Gothic Novel dominated by exaggerated passions and fears. Indeed, Lizzie is afraid to lose her place in the school, to not be able to live up to a standard in the school and the society. Moreover, she is really curious, she yearns for knowledge, not only in medicine. For this reason, she run towards the danger and horror, getting in a lot of troubles.
On the other hand…
If she is the gothic heroine, Victor is her male counterpart, the gothic hero honourable and sensitive who tries to save the heroine and falls victim of his negative impulse.
We have talked about his physical description. For what concerns his personality, before being turned into a bio-mechanic being (a “creature”), he was arrogant and superb and has paid this attitude with his life. However, he shows to also be honourable. He wanted to do right thing but he didn’t have the chance. When he meets Lizzie, he does everything he can to protect her and her friends, among which there is also his younger brother Will.
Will, Byram and Aggie are the second lead characters of book. They are all well characterized for what regards the physical aspect and above all the personality. For example, Will is described as an unsecure and anxious young boy who lives in the shadow of his elder near perfect brother (who he loves anyway and miss him). Aggie is instead a nurse student with a strong personality and provided with great sarcasm. Byram is a medicine student, best friend of Will, who seems to have a cold and indifferent attitude. He has a health problem (he limps) but he does not allow it to be a problem for him. Moreover, he smokes.
THE THEME OF THE DOUBLE
It’s interesting to notice here how the theme of the double, that is one of the main themes of Frankenstein, has been used. In the original novel, Doctor Frankenstein and his creature are complementary. The creature stands for the negative part of the scientist. Both are characterized by a sense of alienation and isolation, both desires to be good but they are obsessed with hate and revenge. Even if they are separated, indeed the doctor runs away from his creature, however they are constantly present in each other’s life. They are like two sides of the same coin as are Dorian Grey and his painting in the famous Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Grey or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in Stevenson’s novel The Strange case of or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Instead, in Cadaver & Queen Victor Frankenstein and his creature are effectively the same being, he feels on his own skin what being a “monster” means, not being able to speak properly, to act properly, being rejected by the people, feared by them, considered different, alienated and isolated. At least, until he meets Lizzie who helps him to regain consciousness and awareness.
THE WOMAN’S ROLE AND PREJUDICES
Other important themes that we can find in Frankenstein regards the women’s role and the social prejudices. Creating the “creature”, Dr. Frankenstein overcomes the natural laws usurping the women’s role in giving life to a human being without their participation. This aspect is not so prominent in Cadaver & Queen like it is in the original novel. In Alisa Kwitney’s novel, the attention is focused more on the social prejudices about the women’s role in the society.
In the 19th century English society, women didn’t have the same opportunities of men, there was the belief that not all the kind of jobs were suitable for women. It’s the case of doctor and nursery jobs. It was hard for a woman to become a doctor, instead it was easier for her to become a nurse. Indeed, when Lizzie arrives at the Ingold School, she is mistaken for a nurse student. Moreover, there is also the issue of the accommodation. The med students are all men and it isn’t allowed to women to share the same dormitory. So, she is forced to stay in another building and to cross all the campus everyday to attend classes. Not only but the anatomy professor excludes her from the practical classes saying that it is not appropriate for a lady such kind of classes.
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT…
Two characteristics of the Gothic Genre are the setting and the emphasis on darkness and horror. The setting of gothic novels are always ancient isolated castles, mysterious abbeys and convents. The story often takes place during night, anyway into darkness because it gives the sense of oppression and uncertainty. These characteristics can be found even in Cadaver & Queen. Indeed, the story takes place at the Ingold School that ss described as an isolated old castle made by stones, the weather is often cloudy and stormy and the mood is generally gloomy and uncertain. There is not too much horror but it’s obvious because the novel is written for young readers.
EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS
The Gothic Genre comes after the Romantic one from which it inherits some characteristics. One of them is the emphasis put on emotions and feelings, individual consciousness and awareness.
Fear, excitement, confusion are some of the emotions and feelings that appears in the gothic novels. They are due to what it was happening when the genre was born. The 19th century was an ambivalent period of time. From a hand it was characterized by social, economic and above all technological evolution. New inventions appears and there was faith for a brighter future. On the other hand, there were a lot of problems such as high poverty, strict social rules to respect, the colonialism and many others.
So, in other words the feelings and emotions of the characters of the gothic novels are a reflection of the feelings and emotions generally spread among the people. Mary Shelly herself wrote Frankenstein as a way to express her fear for the latest science developments who were questioning the natural laws.
Anyway, in Cadaver & Queen this emphasis is present but is not so prominent like the original novel. Feelings and emotions are well described but in not so profound way, at least in some parts where it would be better be deeper in the description.
However, this is not a negative point. The story of Cadaver & Queen, as we have already said before, has been written for young readers. The style indeed is simple and direct, equally engaging. Where the story is near to lose the reader’s attention, there is a plot twist that grabs it again.
CONCLUSION
So, to conclude this analysis, the final judgment for Cadaver & Queen is positive. The story is well written, the author has been able to use skilfully the main characteristics of the gothic genre adapting them for the audience. Maybe the finale is a bit rushed. Its appreciable the attention to the details such as for example the fact that Lizzie at the end, due to a near death experience, gets a strand of white hair.
She has dark hair so it’s easy imagine her in the same way as in the collective imagination is described Frankenstein’s creature wife.
Cadaver & Queen has a sort of sequel titled Corpes & Crown where the protagonists are not the same. Aggie, nickname for Agatha DeLacey, the nurse with the strong personality we have mentioned before is one them. The book is more a spin-off story always written by Alisa Kwitney and published by Harlequin Teen.