Queer Omens

Or, In More Words, Looking at Good Omens' Aziraphel and Crowley

Through the Lens of Queer Theory

Katya Pilkington
If one (1) were to look at the Bible (2) and say, "My! Why do angels get to be good and
demons get to be bad while the lot of us down here exist in this gobbledygook of both?," and
decide to do something about it you'd get Good Omens by authors Neil Gaiman and Terry
Pratchett. As a novel about an angel and a demon working together to stop the end of the world
(3) the lines between "good" and "bad", "us" versus "them", are blurred. It is this breakdown of
binary thinking that makes queer theory an effective lens for exploring Good Omens. In
particular, this essay uses queer theory to better understand the characters Aziraphale and
Crowley within the context of their respective identities as an angel and demon, as well as their
relationship with each other and their efforts to stop the apocalypse.

Now, when we use the word "queer" in the context of queer theory, we aren't referring
specifically to how a thing can be seen as LGBTQ+ inclusive (4), but rather referring to the idea
of "queering" something dismantles binaries and opposes the regimes of the "normal" (5).

1. Or, in this case, two

2. Or Christianity mythos in general. Good Omens pulls a lot from the Bible, Revelations in
particular, and puts a spin on many, many things. But the rest of that is for another essay
some other time.
3. You see, they quite like the world in its not-ended state, thank you very much. If the
world were to end, what would happen to _____ and _____ ?
4. Though one could (and we will) argue that Good Omens can and should be viewed in
this manner as well.
5. "Normal" referring to identities that hold systemic power over other identities, such as
men over women in patriarchal societies. In other words, the hegemony within
hegemonic systems.
Brainstorm

Overarching Theme:
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett can be understood through the lens of Queer
Theory as a queering of the Bible, Revelations in particular. Focused on Aziraphale and Crowley
for sake of brevity

Tidbits:
● A demon bad at being bad
○ Surrounded by life (plants)
○ Not quite a fallen angel (didn't fall but vaguely sauntered downwards)
● An angel bad at being good
○ Surrounded by dead trees (books)
○ Distinctly queer (gayer than a bunch of monkeys on nitrous oxide)
● Made to be a love story - queer but not gay
● occult and celestial beings Occupying the gray space all of us humanity reside in -
breaking the binaries of good and evil
● Gender ambiguous angels. What is gender to an angel (or demon, for that matter) -
Crowley's depictions within the show highlight this particularly well.
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