The Good, the Evil, and the Morally Ambiguous: The Demon Crowley in Terry Pratchett’s and Neil Gaiman’s Postmodern Fantasy Good Omens and Its Television Adaptation

Amy Kennedy

doi:10.4312/an.57.2.63-74

Authors

Amy Kennedy University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts, Slovenia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4312/an.57.2.63-74

Keywords:

postmodern fantasy, moral ambiguity, intertextuality, adaptation

Abstract

In their postmodern fantasy novel Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman create a compelling case for a combination of good and evil in all their characters, but one character is of particular interest: the Demon Crowley. Moral ambiguity marks both the novel and its namesake television series Good Omens. I will examine the moral issues raised by the written and on-screen Crowleys, and the overall understanding the reader or viewer gains of his character. I also examine the intertextual use of the name “Crowley” and its connotations, ending on the question of whether the television series is an effective adaptation of Pratchett’s and Gaiman’s novel and its morally ambiguous message.

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