ICSM Teenage Wasteland: Dystopic Narratives and Alienated Youth
Best Bet Database: Academic Search Premier : Among the available Subject Headings here are Dystopias, Dystopias in literature, and Dystopian films.
Everything Falls Apart: Below is an A (alienation) to Z (zombies) selection of Subject Headings that seem relevant to any number of worst case scenarios. But remember these are by no means exhaustive. Teenage wastelands may cultivate the blind spots and blank spaces.
Alienation (Social psychology)
Alienation (Social psychology) in literature
Conflict of generations
Conflict of generations--United States
Adolescent psychology--United States
Teenagers--United States
Teenagers--United States--Attitudes
Young adult literature--History and criticism
Teenagers in literature
Teenagers in motion pictures
Youth in literature
Youth in motion pictures
Dystopias
Dystopias in literature
Dystopian films
Utopias [an opposite but closely related concept]
Utopias in literature
Science fiction--History and criticism
Science fiction, English--History and criticism
Science fiction, American--History and criticism
Science fiction films--History and criticism
For any author--whose literary and/or cultural status has inspired critical studies--try a Subject search on the name (surname first) and look especially at these subheadings, if available:
Orwell, George, 1903-1950
Orwell, George, 1903-1950--Criticism and interpretation
Orwell, George, 1903-1950--Political and social views
Orwell, George, 1903-1950. Nineteen eighty-four
Civilization, Modern--21st century
Technology and civilization--Forecasting
Twenty-first century--Forecasts
Social change--Forecasting
Postmodernism--Social aspects
Regression (Civilization)
Regression (Civilization) in literature
Social problems in literature
Future in literature
Disasters
Disasters in literature
Disasters--Psychological aspects
Disasters--Social aspects
Catastrophical, The
End of the world
End of the world in literature
Survivalism
Armageddon
Apocalyptic literature
Apocalyptic literature--History and criticism
Nature--Effect of human beings on
Environmental degradation
Global environmental change
Climatic changes--Forecasting
Deforestation
Desertification
Population--Environmental aspects
Population forecasting
Overpopulation
Epidemics
Epidemics--Forecasting
Epidemics--Social aspects
Plague in literature
Authoritarianism
Totalitarianism and literature
Radicalism
Radicalism in literature
Anarchism
Anarchism--History--21st century
Anarchism in literature
Political violence
Insurgency
Counterinsurgency
Revolutions
Violence
Violence -- Moral and ethical aspects
Violence -- Psychological aspects
Violence--Social aspects
Youth and violence
Violence in adolescence
Violence in mass media
Violence in motion pictures
Violence on television
Violence and Terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism in literature
Mass murder
Holocaust
Genocide
Crimes against humanity
War
War--Forecasting
War and civilization
War and society
Guerrilla warfare
Weapons of mass destruction
Nuclear weapons Moral and ethical aspects
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare--Moral and ethical aspects
Biological warfare
Biological weapons
Zombies
Alienation (Social psychology)
Alienation (Social psychology) in literature
Conflict of generations
Conflict of generations--United States
Adolescent psychology--United States
Teenagers--United States
Teenagers--United States--Attitudes
Young adult literature--History and criticism
Teenagers in literature
Teenagers in motion pictures
Youth in literature
Youth in motion pictures
Dystopias
Dystopias in literature
Dystopian films
Utopias [an opposite but closely related concept]
Utopias in literature
Science fiction--History and criticism
Science fiction, English--History and criticism
Science fiction, American--History and criticism
Science fiction films--History and criticism
For any author--whose literary and/or cultural status has inspired critical studies--try a Subject search on the name (surname first) and look especially at these subheadings, if available:
Orwell, George, 1903-1950
Orwell, George, 1903-1950--Criticism and interpretation
Orwell, George, 1903-1950--Political and social views
Orwell, George, 1903-1950. Nineteen eighty-four
Civilization, Modern--21st century
Technology and civilization--Forecasting
Twenty-first century--Forecasts
Social change--Forecasting
Postmodernism--Social aspects
Regression (Civilization)
Regression (Civilization) in literature
Social problems in literature
Future in literature
Disasters
Disasters in literature
Disasters--Psychological aspects
Disasters--Social aspects
Catastrophical, The
End of the world
End of the world in literature
Survivalism
Armageddon
Apocalyptic literature
Apocalyptic literature--History and criticism
Nature--Effect of human beings on
Environmental degradation
Global environmental change
Climatic changes--Forecasting
Deforestation
Desertification
Population--Environmental aspects
Population forecasting
Overpopulation
Epidemics
Epidemics--Forecasting
Epidemics--Social aspects
Plague in literature
Authoritarianism
Totalitarianism and literature
Radicalism
Radicalism in literature
Anarchism
Anarchism--History--21st century
Anarchism in literature
Political violence
Insurgency
Counterinsurgency
Revolutions
Violence
Violence -- Moral and ethical aspects
Violence -- Psychological aspects
Violence--Social aspects
Youth and violence
Violence in adolescence
Violence in mass media
Violence in motion pictures
Violence on television
Violence and Terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism in literature
Mass murder
Holocaust
Genocide
Crimes against humanity
War
War--Forecasting
War and civilization
War and society
Guerrilla warfare
Weapons of mass destruction
Nuclear weapons Moral and ethical aspects
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare--Moral and ethical aspects
Biological warfare
Biological weapons
Zombies
General OneFile : is the most user-friendly of our comprehensive databases, covering almost any topic from a wide range of disciplinary angles and offering lots of full text. Use the default Subject search to find the best subject heading for your topic (and when you find a good one be sure to look at the "Related Subjects" to see if there's something even better).
When you settle on a subject heading, open the "Subdivisions" link below it. Most General OneFile subject searchs produce very large retrievals and the "subdivisions" help you narrow your search to a particular aspect: "Ethical aspects," "Forecasts and Trends," "History," "Political aspects," "Psychological aspects," and "Social aspects," to name only a few.
If the best available subdivision is still too broad, open it and add your own Keywords in the "Search within these results" slot at the upper left.
User Advisory: When first viewing your retrievals in General OneFile, note that you are seeing only the "Magazines" (popular articles) and must click on the tabs for "Academic Journals" (scholarly articles) or "News" (newspaper articles) to see those results
Academic Search Premier Comprehensive subject coverage with considerable full text. Note that there is a “Subject Terms” link just above the search boxes, allowing you to search the index of Subject Headings--often a good first stop for more efficient Subject searching whereby you are guaranteed that your topic is indeed a main subject of the articles retrieved.
When you settle on a subject heading, open the "Subdivisions" link below it. Most General OneFile subject searchs produce very large retrievals and the "subdivisions" help you narrow your search to a particular aspect: "Ethical aspects," "Forecasts and Trends," "History," "Political aspects," "Psychological aspects," and "Social aspects," to name only a few.
If the best available subdivision is still too broad, open it and add your own Keywords in the "Search within these results" slot at the upper left.
User Advisory: When first viewing your retrievals in General OneFile, note that you are seeing only the "Magazines" (popular articles) and must click on the tabs for "Academic Journals" (scholarly articles) or "News" (newspaper articles) to see those results
Academic Search Premier Comprehensive subject coverage with considerable full text. Note that there is a “Subject Terms” link just above the search boxes, allowing you to search the index of Subject Headings--often a good first stop for more efficient Subject searching whereby you are guaranteed that your topic is indeed a main subject of the articles retrieved.
A good initial strategy in this database is to search a likely topic in the Subject Terms and when you find it “explode” the term by double clicking it--this brings up a list of related Subject terms. You can check as many terms as you like before "adding" them to your search by AND-ing or OR-ing them together.
User Advisory: For any retrieved set of articles, there will be a box displayed on the left that will limit the articles to “Scholarly” journals—just check the box and click the “Update Results” button below.
ProQuest Research Library is another comprehensive database with substantial full text. Use the "Thesaurus" (above the search slots) to preview what Subject Headings are available.
Note that to the right of your search results you can limit your retrieval by "Source Type" (including Magazines, Newspapers, Scholarly Journals), "Document Type," (including Cover Story, Editorial, or Interview), and "Location."
Above each set of articles you retrieve ProQuest will display related Subject searches to help either broaden or narrow your focus.
PsycINFO : The American Psychological Association use their own Subject vocabulary (called "Descriptors"), so a visit to the "Thesaurus" above the search slots is usually a good idea--but unfortunately there is no Subject Heading for "conspiracy" or "conspiracy theories" here. Both will work as keywords, however, and retrieve dozens of articles.
PsycINFO deals only with scholarly literature, much of it assuming a graduate-level understanding of the discipline. But among these you may find interesting, accessible articles on your topic.
User Advisory: If what you're searching for are "journals" in "English," it's a good idea to check those boxes below the search slots.
JSTOR : covers a wide range of scholarly journals in most disciiplines, always beginning with the first issue of each one. This provides 100% full text access to articles from not only the first half of the 20th century but even the second half of the 19th. Be aware, however, that at the other end of the date range articles don't appear in JSTOR until at least 1-2 years after publication.
JSTOR offers only a Keyword search of its complete full text, so retrievals are large, but the relevancy ranking does a good job of putting the strongest matches on the first few pages. This relevancy ranking does not weigh date, however, and will display a mix of articles written decades apart. So if your topic is time sensitive, be alert to publication dates.
User Advisory: The academic journals covered here feature numerous book reviews, so it's a good idea to tic the "Article" limit below the search slots so you won't be overwhelmed by book reviews on your topic.
Project Muse : provides 100% full text of mostly scholarly journals, but its coverage is entirely current--mainly spanning the only last 10-15 years. Muse uses a "black box" search approach--you enter your search terms in one slot with no designated field options. This broad approach to searching tends to generate large retrievals--almost 500 for "conspiracy theories"--so it's best to be as specific as possible. And note--once you have a retrieval set, you can add more search terms by clicking "Modify Search" at the top.
MLA International Bibliography provides the most complete and fully indexed coverage of articles and books on modern literatures, linguistics, folklore, rhetoric, and composition from 1925 to the present. There is ample full text provided by ProQuest, as well as links to full-text articles in JSTOR and Project Muse. Full text from other IC databases is also readily available via the "GetIt" links below article citations.
Because books, book chapters/essays, and dissertations will usually not be available full text, you may wish to limit your search to "Journal article" under "Source type."
"Author's Work" and "Author as Subject" will be especially helpful search fields at finding literary criticism. And for additional search field options either click on "Show more fields," or, for the complete list, open the drop-down menus to the right of the "Anywhere" default for the top three rows of search slots. This list includes both "Literary Influence"--who influenced a particular author you have entered--and "Literary Source"--who was influenced by that particular author.
If you set up a free "My Research" account with Proquest (top right), you can save all the articles you check, all the searches you want to remember, and set up e-mail or RSS notification for any new articles that match your search terms.
ProQuest Research Library is another comprehensive database with substantial full text. Use the "Thesaurus" (above the search slots) to preview what Subject Headings are available.
Note that to the right of your search results you can limit your retrieval by "Source Type" (including Magazines, Newspapers, Scholarly Journals), "Document Type," (including Cover Story, Editorial, or Interview), and "Location."
Above each set of articles you retrieve ProQuest will display related Subject searches to help either broaden or narrow your focus.
PsycINFO : The American Psychological Association use their own Subject vocabulary (called "Descriptors"), so a visit to the "Thesaurus" above the search slots is usually a good idea--but unfortunately there is no Subject Heading for "conspiracy" or "conspiracy theories" here. Both will work as keywords, however, and retrieve dozens of articles.
PsycINFO deals only with scholarly literature, much of it assuming a graduate-level understanding of the discipline. But among these you may find interesting, accessible articles on your topic.
User Advisory: If what you're searching for are "journals" in "English," it's a good idea to check those boxes below the search slots.
JSTOR : covers a wide range of scholarly journals in most disciiplines, always beginning with the first issue of each one. This provides 100% full text access to articles from not only the first half of the 20th century but even the second half of the 19th. Be aware, however, that at the other end of the date range articles don't appear in JSTOR until at least 1-2 years after publication.
JSTOR offers only a Keyword search of its complete full text, so retrievals are large, but the relevancy ranking does a good job of putting the strongest matches on the first few pages. This relevancy ranking does not weigh date, however, and will display a mix of articles written decades apart. So if your topic is time sensitive, be alert to publication dates.
User Advisory: The academic journals covered here feature numerous book reviews, so it's a good idea to tic the "Article" limit below the search slots so you won't be overwhelmed by book reviews on your topic.
Project Muse : provides 100% full text of mostly scholarly journals, but its coverage is entirely current--mainly spanning the only last 10-15 years. Muse uses a "black box" search approach--you enter your search terms in one slot with no designated field options. This broad approach to searching tends to generate large retrievals--almost 500 for "conspiracy theories"--so it's best to be as specific as possible. And note--once you have a retrieval set, you can add more search terms by clicking "Modify Search" at the top.
MLA International Bibliography provides the most complete and fully indexed coverage of articles and books on modern literatures, linguistics, folklore, rhetoric, and composition from 1925 to the present. There is ample full text provided by ProQuest, as well as links to full-text articles in JSTOR and Project Muse. Full text from other IC databases is also readily available via the "GetIt" links below article citations.
Because books, book chapters/essays, and dissertations will usually not be available full text, you may wish to limit your search to "Journal article" under "Source type."
"Author's Work" and "Author as Subject" will be especially helpful search fields at finding literary criticism. And for additional search field options either click on "Show more fields," or, for the complete list, open the drop-down menus to the right of the "Anywhere" default for the top three rows of search slots. This list includes both "Literary Influence"--who influenced a particular author you have entered--and "Literary Source"--who was influenced by that particular author.
If you set up a free "My Research" account with Proquest (top right), you can save all the articles you check, all the searches you want to remember, and set up e-mail or RSS notification for any new articles that match your search terms.
- Ebrary
- Citation
- Interlibrary Loan
- Plagiarism Tutorial
- Dystopian Fiction East and West : Universe of Terror and Trial
- Utopia/Dystopia : Conditions of Historical Possibility
- On Nineteen Eighty-Four : Orwell and Our Future
- Orwell, Politics, and Power
- Picture Imperfect : Utopian Thought for an Anti-Utopian Age
- From Utopia to Apocalypse : Science Fiction and the Politics of Catastrophe
- Mothers and Masters in Contemporary Utopian and Dystopian Literature
- Tenses of Imagination : Raymond Williams on Science Fiction, Utopia, and Dystopia
- Badlands of Modernity : Heterotopia and Social Ordering
- Never Saw It Coming : Cultural Challenges to Envisioning the Worst
- Long Descent : A User's Guide to the End of the Industrial Age
- Dark Age Ahead
- Genealogy of Cyborgothic : Aesthetics and Ethics in the Age of Posthumanism
- 2030 Spike : Countdown to Global Catastrophe
- Spectre : Catastrophism : The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth
- Armageddon Now : The End of the World A to Z
- Millennialism and Society : End All Around Us : The Apocalypse and Popular Culture
- End of the World : The Science and Ethics of Human Extinction
- Apocalyptic Patterns in Twentieth-Century Fiction
- Postapocalyptic Fiction and the Social Contract : We'll not go Home Again
- Understanding Youth in Late Modernity
- Adolescence : Growing up in America Today
- Young Adult Literature : From Romance to Realism
- World's Youth
- Born Digital : Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives
- Modern Self in the Labyrinth : Politics and the Entrapment Imagination
- Meaning and Void : Inner Experience and the Incentives in People's Lives
- Untied States of America : Polarization, Fracturing, and Our Future
- Social Rage : Emotion and Cultural Conflict
- Alien Identities : Exploring Differences in Film and Fiction
- New Inquisitions : Heretic-Hunting and the Intellectual Origins of Modern Totalitarianism
- Totalitarian Capitalism and Beyond
- Making of Totalitarian Thought
- Totalitarianism and Political Religion : An Intellectual History
- To Seek Out New Worlds : Exploring Links between Science Fiction and World Politics
- Technophobia! : Science Fiction Visions of Posthuman Technology
- Learning from Other Worlds : Estrangement, Cognition and the Politics of Science Fiction and Utopia
- Bodies of Tomorrow: Technology, Subjectivity, Science Fiction
- Cyberpunk
- Better off Dead : The Evolution of the Zombie As Post-Human
Dystopia on the Web--as opposed to dystopia as the Web--consists of a hodgepodge of fiction & film commentary, band sites, and games. What might prove useful will depend on the particular topic or medium that interests you. Below are a handful of sites to get you started.
Science Fiction/Fantasy: Many dystopian works fall under this genre. Here are two of of the better Web gateways.
- Dystopia Week: A few years ago the Tor.Com science fiction site invited bloggers to post articles on their favorite dystopian fiction and film.
- Exploring Dystopia: The Forum: Lots of distracting pop-ups and broken links, but this is a well-organized site with access to some useful content.
- "Dystopia and the End of Politics": Thoughtful article from Dissent--a well-known journal of politics and culture.
- "Teenage Wastelands": interesting article from the New York Times Magazine.
- "Google Glass in 10 years: The view from dystopia": Blog article with a vivid vision of one possible future.
- "What if the Future is a Disaster?" Interview about dystopian literature with a Yale English instructor.
- Wikipedia provides some handy lists of dystopian literature, film, and music/television/games.
Science Fiction/Fantasy: Many dystopian works fall under this genre. Here are two of of the better Web gateways.
- Center for the Study of Science Fiction: Based at the university of Kansas, this is an excellent gateway to Web resources. In particular, scroll down to "SF Teaching and Scholarly Resources."
- SF Hub: From the University of Liverpool, the two best sets of resources here can be found under "SF Scholarship" and "SF Research Directory." Under Scholarship note especially "Themes & Subjects, A-Z."
MLA is the citation style used by most disciplines in the Humanities. The guides below use the latest 2008/9 standards.
