Learned is a weekly newsletter about words and language, written by me (
This week's excerpt comes from a section of the newsletter called Sidetracks, where I write about the strange and interesting things I learned about while researching and writing the main letter. Please enjoy this little bit about angels in pop culture.
Angels Through the Ages
Angels, like any other archetype, have been worked and re-worked by the machines of pop-culture for centuries. Paradise Lost is an early example, but it is not the only example by far. Here are a few of my favorite examples of Angels in pop culture.
The Divine Comedy - A lot of the language we use to describe various pop-culture angels comes from Dante, specifically part 3 of his masterwork, wherein Beatrice takes Dante to Paradise and introduces him to all the choirs of angels.
Dogma - As a film, Dogma is not without its flaws. However, its central message that religious beliefs are meant to be questioned and not, ahem, dogmatically followed is one that never gets old.
Lucifer - First introduced as a supporting character in The Sandman (comic), Lucifer becomes more and more intriguing as he deals with humans in his adopted home of L.A. The comic is better than the t.v. show, but not by much.
Good Omens - This story by Neil Gaiman and the late (much, much missed) Terry Pratchett is/the/go-to for anyone who wishes to write about angels, devils, and the end of the world as a comedy.
The Prophecy - Look, this movie and its sequels are not great filmmaking, but they feature Christopher Walken as the angel Gabriel and Viggo Mortensen as Lucifer, so what more could you want?
The Remy Chandler Mysteries - Remy Chandler renounced Heaven and chose to live on Earth. To pass the time, he becomes a detective. The stories only get weirder and more fun from there.
Angel - Ok, Angel is not actually an angel, he’s a vampire. But this spin-off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer holds up so well I couldn’t pass up a chance to mention it.
Thanks for reading!