A Curse So Dark and Lonely takes inspiration from the story of Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast was originally published by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot De Villenueve in 1540 as a novel focusing on the injustice of society toward women and the expectation that a woman would submit to her husband in all situations. Sixteen years later, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, a governess in a wealthy British household, abridged the story and published it in a magazine geared toward young ladies, removing commentary on how society treated women and instead making it a tale of how a girl’s place is to obey her husband. The tale has had many versions since then, two of the most popular being the Disney films of 1991 (animated) and 2016 (live action). While the Disney movies mostly shy away from commentary about women and society, both praise Belle (the beauty) for her independence and intelligence. Throughout most forms of the story, the beast’s arc from arrogant to compassionate remains.

Kemmerer both stays true to the original tale and subverts it with Rhen and Harper (the beast and beauty, respectively). As the prince/beast, Rhen has the tragic flaws of arrogance and self-loathing, which in the tale are often portrayed, either together or separately, as the traits that got the beast cursed in the first place.