“Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett challenges the stereotypical conventions of Gothic literature and offers a more modern approach to the genre. Traditionally, Gothic is associated with terrifying creatures such as Frankenstein or Dracula, and remote, dark settings such as abandoned castles or haunted graveyards. These paradigms led to the stagnation of the Gothic imagination in the 20th century, during which the clichéd plots of well-known works such as Frankenstein or Dracula were simply reproduced under different names. This is evidenced by the countless cinematic variations of Dracula and Frankenstein that have been banished to obscurity. “Good Omens” is largely a reaction to this partial decline of the genre. In an attempt to introduce some originality into the genre, Gaiman and Pratchett intentionally abandoned the typical conventions of the Gothic novel. As is significantly emphasized on the first page of the novel, “it was not a dark and stormy night” (Gaiman and Pratchett 4). By departing from these conventions, Gaiman and Pratchett contributed to the development of a subgenre of Gothic literature known as Gothic satire. Although many Gothic stereotypes are parodied in the novel, it is thematically Gothic due to its rejection of Catholic belief, which is one of the fundamental aspects of Gothic literature (Caballero 145). The novel critiques central tenets of Catholic belief, particularly the dichotomous struggle between good and evil, and reveals how these pervasive beliefs often lead to excessive idealism that maintains significant influence on society. In essence, the novel questions the foundations of modern society, namely the many aspects of Catholic history and theology that have combined with different philosophical and political ideologies to form our notion of modernity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The novel's irreverent attitude toward religious belief is evident before reading the first page. In character descriptions, the demon Crowley is facetiously referred to not as a fallen angel, but rather as an angel wandering vaguely downward (Gaiman and Pratchett xiii). Obviously, this is a parody of the Catholic belief that Satan and his compatriots were once angels who fell from God's grace because of their desire to become like God. Therefore, they became the tempters of man and the source of evil in the world. Additionally, at the time of Revelation, the armies of good and evil will engage in an epic battle for the souls of humanity. To any rational non-Catholic, this seems like an absurd explanation for the existence of evil and the ultimate fate of humanity. While this may simply be a metaphorical abstraction of evil, it is disturbing how often public leaders support this notion. Historically, Reagan defined the "Evil Empire" and launched a war of good against evil. George W. Bush used the same language in the war on terrorism. For Gaiman and Pratchett, this physical embodiment of the figurative struggle between good and evil is unsettling. They express their criticism via the interaction between Crowley and Aziraphale. These two supernatural beings fight in the battle between good and evil. However, their supposed opposition is parodied through rather friendly dialogues. In one scene, they both share several drinks and Crowley asks the question: "Fromanyway, why do we talk about good and evil? These are just names for the camps. We know it” (Gaiman and Pratchett 45). This comment trivializes the Catholic notion of the struggle between good and evil and reduces it to its reality, a meaningless distinction between two ineffable terms. Conversely, the Gothic is concerned with a sadomasochistic impulse focused on domination, destruction and revenge, as opposed to a transcendent potential for cooperation, creativity and passion. (Pépétone 3). Gaiman and Pratchett also subscribe to this view of human behavior. As they say, the devil hardly forced anyone to do anything. . . This was what some humans had difficulty understanding. Hell was not a major reservoir of evil, any more than heaven, according to Crowley, was a fountain of goodness; they were only sides in the great cosmic chess game. Where you found the real McCoy, the real grace and the real breathtaking evil, was directly in the human spirit (71). The Gothic approach endorses an existentialist view of human behavior. Rather than supernatural entities vying for the souls of humans, the Gothic proposes that the battle takes place within the human and is comparable to the Freudian struggle between Thanatos and Eros. This is a more humanistic vision that emphasizes the precept of free choice. The existence of God's divine plan is linked to the struggle between good and evil. Likewise, Gaiman and Pratchett characterize it through the conversation between Aziraphale and Crowley. As Aziraphale describes it: “Ah, but it's all part of the overall divine plan, your side can't do anything without being part of the ineffable divine plan” (Gaiman and Pratchett 43). Gaiman and Pratchett criticize this deterministic philosophy and consider it a weak attempt to rationalize the inexplicable. This view is illustrated in the discussion of the death of Agnes Nutter. There was much later debate as to whether this was sent by God or Satan, but a note later found in Agnes Nutter's house indicated that any divine or diabolical intervention had been materially aided by the contents of the Agnes' petticoats, in which she had shown foresight, hid eighty pounds of gunpowder and forty pounds of roofing nails (Gaiman and Pratchett 181). Although comical, this passage clearly demonstrates the absence of divine intervention in human affairs. It is foolish to attempt to impose a divine plan as the reason for all irrational events. The existence of free choice necessarily leads to undesirable and unjustifiable actions. However, the Gothic argues that we must take these events for what they are and not attempt to rationalize them. As Gregory Pepetone says: “The Gothic imagination gives expression and meaning to the dark, mysterious, painful, frightening, and seemingly irrational experiences of life by viewing them as a potential source of insight and transcendence (23). The juxtaposition of the mysterious and frightening with insight and transcendence. transcendence evokes the Gothic notion of the sublime. This experience of the sublime constitutes the foundation of a Gothic spirituality which contrasts sharply with the determinism of a divine design. Although belief in divine purpose seems harmless, it can degenerate into pernicious idealism with the help of extremist influences. This fact is demonstrated in Gaiman and Pratchett's version of Catholic witch hunts and the Spanish Inquisition. The anti-Catholic aspect of Gothic is due, in large part, to a reaction against the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition (Caballero 153). Gaiman and Pratchett represent the irrationality of the inquisition process viathe interrogation led by the Grand Inquisitor. As he says: “Are you a witch? "Yes," said Pepper's sister, six years old and built like a little football with golden hair. Chief torturer. “And then what? » asked the suspect. “And then we torture you to make you say yes,” said the chief torturer (121). This reasoning was not far from that used in the Inquisition itself. Thousands of people were tortured until they confessed to their heresy, then killed. No one was able to see the flawed logic because of fixation on God's divine plan. Gaiman and Pratchett use this comic interpretation of the Inquisition to illustrate how the appearance of religion, or belief in a divine plan, can have catastrophic consequences. Additionally, the absurdity of the witch hunt is highlighted in the dialogue between Brian and Adam. When discussing the possibility of having witches, Adam states, like any rational human being: “I don't think it's permissible to set people on fire” (118). However, Brian responds, "It doesn't matter if you're religious, and it keeps witches from going to hell, so I hope they would be very grateful if they understood it well" (118). This is essentially the basic argument of all religious extremists. Any act, whatever its intrinsic moral value, is permitted in the name of religion. This type of extremism completely distorts the perception of reality and inhibits logical reasoning which often leads to violence. The Gothic militates against this idea of ​​extremist dogma, particularly in the Catholic tradition. For the Gothic, what is Catholic intrudes into the characters' realities and not just their imaginations, intervening in their lives in tangible and corrupt ways (Caballero 149). This religious intervention, or extremism, is clearly evidenced in the character of Brian. He bases the rightness of an action on whether or not he will be condemned to hell for that action, but he has no reservations about burning a human being. Although this is a rather hyperbolic example, religion certainly has a corrupting influence on him. The origins of the extremism that resulted in the atrocities of the witch hunts and the Inquisition are unclear. However, it appears to be socially accepted on a large scale (by Catholics). Presumably this results from a literal interpretation of a specific biblical passage or perhaps a general perversion of Catholic doctrine. Whatever its exact origin, religious extremism of any kind is perpetuated and justified through excessive idealism. According to Pepetone, excessive idealism is the pursuit of a single-minded obsession that ultimately sacrifices one's own principles for a lesser good. He argues that it is the function of the Gothic imagination in society to root out any dystopian element from our natural experience, namely excessive idealism. As he notes: “Excessive idealism has turned Salem’s justice system into a witch hunt; he turned the Cold War's fanatical defense of democracy into a political witch hunt, and he turned Dr. Jekyl into Mr. Hyde” (3). Gaiman and Pratchett are aware of the devastating effects of this excessive idealism on society. They link this concern to the deaths and destruction resulting from the “deep political-religious divide” that exists between the fictional pro-Turkish liberation faction, the pro-Greek Territorial Brigade and the Italian-Maltese freedom fighters. Despite the humorous names, this satire of religious and political factionism is certainly poignant in the language of our times. Although the majority of the novel is, 2003.