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Good Omens: Nice and Accurate Analyses by Intelligent Writers

Editors: Erin M. Giannini and Amanda Taylor 


 

Written as a collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Good Omens (1990) had an active and long-term fanbase before the debut of the Amazon Prime miniseries. Its adaptation, brought to fruition by Gaiman as a promise to Pratchett before Pratchett’s 2015 death, however, has not only brought new fans into the fold, but increased the visibility of the original text.


 

This collection seeks to examine the book and the series, separately and together, in the numerous contexts in which both exist (text, television, fandom, etc.) The collection is under contract with McFarland & Company. The collection will be peer-reviewed.


 

Potential topics include but are not limited to: 


 

  • Examining the adaptation from book to series. What’s inferred from the text but not explicit (eg, the use of Queen), what is highlighted, what is excluded. 

  • Performance studies; eg, influence of previous roles or Michael Sheen’s (Aziraphale) contention that fanfic informed his interactions with Crowley (David Tennant); casting choices

  • Platform: Do streaming platforms offer greater opportunities? Would it have been released on broadcast or cable?

  • ”Ineffable Husbands”: Queer readings of Crowley/Aziraphale

  • Gender presentation: eg, Pollution, God, Crowley as Nanny, etc. 

  • Names/naming: how and why names matter (book or series) (eg, Dog, Adam, Crawley to Crowley, Sister Loquacious)

  • The theology of Good Omens: interpretation, satirization, prophets/prophecy, angels/demons

  • Reception, including the ill-fated petition to Netflix

  • Collaboration (Gaiman/Pratchett; Crowley/Aziraphale, BBC/Amazon)

  • Portrayals of Britishness: Crowley/Aziraphale, the Them, etc as “quintessential” or stereotypical; Easter eggs (eg, Who references, Python-esque opening titles

  • The power of imagination as seen in the book/series

  • Power dynamics in the book/series: e.g. heaven vs. hell, adults vs. kids, humans vs. supernatural beings, etc. 

  • Fandom: differences/intersections/contentions between book and series fans

  • Implications of shifting the time in the book from the early 90s to contemporary times

  • Series as tribute to Pratchett (per interviews with Gaiman)

  • Rise in apocalyptic texts: How does Good Omens speak to our current times/fascination with/need for apocalyptic texts? What does it offer? 

  • Literary influences on Good Omens

  • Cinematic/filmic influences on the small-screen adaptation


 

250-500 word abstracts/proposals with current CV due: September 30, 2019

Completed final manuscript due: July 30, 2020 

Send inquiries or proposals to: goodomensessays@gmail.com 


 

Completed manuscripts should be between 6,000 and 8,000 words (not including Works Cited or notes) and should conform to MLA 8 style and formatting. Please use endnotes instead of footnotes as applicable.

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