Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

• Genre: Fiction; fantasy
• Originally Published: 1990
• Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult
• Structure/Length: Prologue, 6 chapters; approx. 512 pages; approx. 12 hours, 14 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch—the only completely accurate book of prophecies—says the world will end next Saturday. Angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley live a cushy life in England and set out to keep the apocalypse at bay. Doing so means posing as a nanny and a gardener to a young boy assumed to be the Antichrist.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Childbirth; death; famine; racism; violence; war

Neil Gaiman, Author

• Bio: Born in Hampshire, England, in 1960; an early reader and lover of fantasy, especially Tolkien and C. S. Lewis; pursued journalism as an early career; inspired to write comics and comic scripts by Alan Moore (Swamp Thing); went on to write comics for DC, Marvel, and other publications; first novel (Good Omens; 1990) was a collaboration with Terry Pratchett; first met with big success with American Gods (2001); participates in radio and public readings and pursues screenwriting and audiobook projects
• Other Works: American Gods (2001); The Graveyard Book (2008); The Silver Dream (2013); The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013); Norse Mythology (2017)
• Awards: World Fantasy Award nominee (1991); Locus Award nominee (1991)

Terry Pratchett, Author

• Bio: 1948-2015; English author and satirist; had a successful career in journalism before writing full-time in 1987; had an interest in natural history and owned a greenhouse full of carnivorous plants; diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and donated $1 million to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust; worked with the BBC to make a documentary series about his illness in 2008; received a knighthood for services to literature in 2009; appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1998; awarded 10 honorary doctorates and dozens of awards for his writing
• Other Works: The Carpet People (1977); The Color of Magic (1983); Truckers (1988); Only You Can Save Mankind (1992); The Discworld Companion (1994)
• Awards: World Fantasy Award nominee (1991); Locus Award nominee (1991)  

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Hypocrisy of Organized Religion
• Nature Versus Nurture
• The Cosmos as a Massive Bureaucracy
• The Rights and Limitations of Free Will
• Cultural Differences Between England and the United States

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of humor and satire and how they are used to convey social commentary and then identify examples of satire in popular culture and create their own examples of satirical social commentary.
• In paired texts, analyze and evaluate the use of satire to call attention to The Hypocrisy of Organized Religion and The Cosmos as a Massive Bureaucracy and to draw conclusions regarding the nature of free will, the difficulty of discerning good and evil, and other topics.
• Analyze plot and characters to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the themes of Nature Versus Nurture, The Hypocrisy of Organized Religion, and The Rights and Limitations of Free Will.