Links for Library Session Groups on Padlet
Subject Guide
Reference Sources
- Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature This link opens in a new windowThe Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature contains over 400 articles and aims to map, over time, the world’s entire landscape of literary expressions and criticism, weaving together the various fields and approaches that make up literature.
- Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics This link opens in a new windowThe articles consider both the professional ethics of science and technology and the ethical and political issues raised by science and technology in an increasingly complex and global society.
Example Streaming/Online Videos in Virgo
- Dystopia: What is to Be Done?Dystopia is a word to label fictional portrayals of negative utopias. This film deals with the very real hell on earth that is experienced by nearly a billion people right now. It predicts that the dystopia that is here for many will become increasingly prevalent for more and more of us. Humanity faces many different sorts of crises: environmental, political, and economic. These crises will continue to worsen unless the drastic systemic change is undertaken. However, the widespread knowledge that is required to form a strong enough political consensus for that sort of change is unlikely to occur. There is systematic mystification preventing it. The film demonstrates that present responses are inadequate and suggests the way forward.
- Apocalypse (2017, 50 min)Violent cataclysms and fiery judgement fixate the popular imagination and fill numerous holy books. Morgan Freeman looks into this supposed future as well as past millennia of strife to determine how the world will end. His journey takes him to the desert that three faiths call home to pour over the Dead Sea Scrolls and learn about the origins of the Jewish messiah. In Rome he decodes the enigmatic Mark of the Beast- 666 - and sits down with a reformed Islamic terrorist. He travels to Guatemala to determine if the ancient Maya really predicted the end of the world and learns from a psychologist why some people find comfort in catastrophes. On the brighter side, a visit with Hurricane Katrina survivors and a meditative session with one of the holiest men in all of Buddhism begins to realign Freeman's perspective - what if the apocalypse is not a planetary bloodbath, but rather a mental paradigm shift?
- Antibiotic Apocalypse (2016, 30 minutes)An investigation into the global advance of antibiotic-resistant superbugs and the threat they pose to modern medicine and millions of patients worldwide. Reporter Fergus Walsh travels to India and finds restricted, life-saving antibiotics on sale without prescription and talks to patients back in the UK whose recovery depends on them.
- A Boy and His Dog (1975, 2018)This 1975 science-fiction thriller, based on Harlan Ellison's classic short story, failed commercially but has become a cult classic. It tells the story of a young man in a post-apocalyptic landscape who survives with the help of a telepathic dog. The film's iconic final line, a shocking and memorable pun, was an addition to the screenplay that Ellison hated. The film won the 1976 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Directed by L. Q. Jones.
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015, 120 min)From director George Miller, originator of the post-apocalyptic genre and mastermind behind the legendary "Mad Max" franchise, comes "Mad Max: Fury Road," a return to the world of the Road Warrior, Max Rockatansky. Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max (Tom Hardy) believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa (Charlize Theron). They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.
- Red Desert (1964)Michelangelo Antonioni's 1960s panoramas of contemporary alienation were decade-defining artistic events, and Red Desert, his first color film, is perhaps his most epochal. This provocative look at the spiritual desolation of the technological age-about a disaffected woman, brilliantly portrayed by Antonioni muse Monica Vitti, wandering through a bleak industrial landscape beset by power plants and environmental toxins, and tentatively flirting with her husband's coworker, played by Richard Harris-continues to keep viewers spellbound. With one startling, painterly composition after another-of abandoned fishing cottages, electrical towers, looming docked ships-Red Desert creates a nearly apocalyptic image of its time, and confirms Antonioni as cinema's preeminent poet of the modern age.
Helpful URLs
- Ask a LibrarianQuestions? Ask us! Chat, call, text, or email anytime.
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- Using Databases Off GroundsHave questions about accessing databases from off-grounds? Find more information here.
Library Research
This guide was created to help you prepare for your short research assignment and as a general guide to resources related to dystopian and apocalyptic literature and concepts.
In preparation for your short research assignment, you should have thought some about possible questions to start your research. You will also want to spend some time thinking about how you will conduct your research.
- Fine-tune your searches.
Think broadly when brainstorming search terms. What synonyms or related terms could stand in for your key search terms?
You can combine search terms using AND (dystopia AND "environmental disaster") and OR ("artificial intelligence" OR AI OR "machine intelligence").
In many databases, the asterisk (*) is a truncation or "wildcard" symbol that will match all possible endings for a word stem. For example, sex* will match sexism, sexual, sexuality, sexualize, etc.
Most databases have filters or facets that allow you to narrow your results by subject, date range, etc. Limit your searches to help you find the sources you need.
- Think about where you might find the type of information you are seeking.
Will you find the research you need in an e-book? A journal article? A magazine? A newspaper? An interview? Cast a wide net when looking for the types of resources that could help answer your research question or support an argument you are making.
- Know the difference between academic and non-academic sources, and when it's appropriate to use them.
Most databases allow you to limit results to academic/scholarly/peer-reviewed sources. Be mindful of your assignment and what you're being asked to provide. Need a refresher? Watch the short video Peer Review in 3 Minutes.
- When you find a good source, use it to find other good sources.
Use the subject terms and keywords associated with an item to find other items on similar topics.Scholarly books and articles will have works cited, bibliographies, or footnotes you can mine for additional resources.
Need help? Ask a librarian.
Finding articles
Databases for Researching Literature (See an A-Z list of all databases)
MLA International Bibliography (MLAIB) indexes the broadest range of resources about literature in all languages, as well as film, television, and popular culture, including over 4,000 journals as well as books and dissertations. For articles not available full-text in MLA, click on “Find article @ UVa Libraries,” or look up the journal title in Virgo, the library catalog.
ProQuest One Literature is for scholars who want to engage with an exhaustive and diverse set of scholarly resources around a given literary topic for research. It contains 3 million literature citations from thousands of journals, monographs, dissertations, and more than 500,000 primary works – including rare and obscure texts, multiple versions, and non-traditional sources like comics, theater performances, and author readings.
JSTOR includes older issues of scholarly journals in many disciplines including literature, from the start to 3-5 years ago.
Project Muse offers searchable full text of nearly 600 scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics, mostly from North American university presses. Older volumes are often available from JSTOR.
Databases for searching general topics related to dystopias and apocalypse
Academic Search Complete is a large general database of articles from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers on many topics. Updated daily, it can be the best source for resources about very current topics.
CQ Researcher provides award winning in-depth coverage of the most important issues of the day. Our reports are written by experience journalists. footnoted and professionally fact-checked. Full-length articles include an overview, historical background, chronology, pro/con feature, plus resources for additional research. Graphics, photos and short "sidebar" features round out the reports. Shorter "Hot Topics" articles provide a solid introduction to subjects most in demand by students.NOTE: This is a credible source but not a scholarly source. Good for an overview of current and/or controversial topics.
Finding books & articles using Virgo
Virgo, the UVA Library’s primary search tool, contains catalog records for books, print journals, DVDs, maps, and digitized materials, as well as links to online articles from our rich array of subscription journals. You can search catalog materials and articles together, or view those results separately, using the facets provided to limit your results by author, format, publication period, and more. To find online content, use the Format limiters like Online and tabs for Books, Articles, etc. to narrow your results.
Example subject terms of possible interest:
- Apocalypse in literature
- Dystopias in literature
- Dystopias - History
- Apocalyptic films
- Apocalypse in motion pictures
- End of the world in literature
- Artificial Intelligence - Social Aspects
- Biotechnology in Literature
- Technology - Social Aspects
- Environmental protection in literature
- International relations in literature
Example E-Books of Interest
Apocalypse and Post-Politics: The Romance of the End by Call Number: Ebook - Access online using link in VirgoISBN: 9780739166222Publication Date: 2012Mary Manjikian's Apocalypse and Post-Politics: The Romance of the End advances the thesis that only those who feel the most safe and whose lives are least precarious can engage in the sort of storytelling which envisions erasing civilization. Apocalypse-themed novels of contemporary America and historic Britain, then, are affirmed as a creative luxury of development. Manjikian examines a number of such novels using the lens of an international relations theorist, identifying faults in the logic of the American exceptionalists who would argue that America is uniquely endowed with resources and a place in the world, both of which make continued growth and expansion simultaneously desirable and inevitable. In contrast, Manjikian shows, apocalyptic narratives explore America as merely one nation among many, whose trajectory is neither unique nor destined for success. Apocalypse and Post-Politics ultimately argues that the apocalyptic narrative provides both a counterpoint and a corrective to the narrative of exceptionalism. Apocalyptic concepts provide a way for contemporary Americans to view the international system from below: from the perspective of those who are powerless rather than those who are powerful. This sort of theorizing is also useful for intelligence analysts who question how it all will end, and whether America's decline can be predicted or prevented.
Artificial Intelligence: Modern Magic or Dangerous Future? by Call Number: Ebook - Access online using link in VirgoISBN: 9781785785160Publication Date: 2019Artificial intelligence has long been a mainstay of science fiction and increasingly it feels as if AI is entering our everyday lives, with technology like Apple’s Siri now prominent, and self-driving cars almost upon us.
But what do we actually mean when we talk about ‘AI’? Are the sentient machines of 2001 or The Matrix a real possibility or will real-world artificial intelligence look and feel very different? What has it done for us so far? And what technologies could it yield in the future?
AI expert Yorick Wilks takes a journey through the history of artificial intelligence up to the present day, examining its origins, controversies and achievements, as well as looking into just how it works. He also considers the future, assessing whether these technologies could menace our way of life, but also how we are all likely to benefit from AI applications in the years to come.
Biopunk Dystopias: Genetic Engineering, Society, and Science Fiction by Call Number: Ebook - Access online using link in VirgoISBN: 9781781383322Publication Date: 2016'Biopunk Dystopias' contends that we find ourselves at a historical nexus, defined by the rise of biology as the driving force of scientific progress, a strongly grown mainstream attention given to genetic engineering in the wake of the Human Genome Project (1990-2003), the changing sociological view of a liquid modern society, and shifting discourses on the posthuman, including a critical posthumanism that decenters the privileged subject of humanism. The book argues that this historical nexus produces a specific cultural formation in the form of "biopunk", a subgenre evolved from the cyberpunk of the 1980s. The analysis deals with dystopian science fiction artifacts of different media from the year 2000 onwards that project a posthuman intervention into contemporary socio-political discourse based in liquid modernity in the cultural formation of biopunk. Biopunk makes use of current posthumanist conceptions in order to criticize contemporary reality as already dystopian, warning that a future will only get worse, and that society needs to reverse its path, or else destroy all life on this planet.
Broken Mirrors: Representations of Apocalypses and Dystopias in Popular Culture by Call Number: Ebook - Access online using link in VirgoISBN: 9781000753707Publication Date: 2019Dystopian stories and visions of the Apocalypse are nothing new; however in recent years there has been a noticeable surge in the output of this type of theme in literature, art, comic books/graphic novels, video games, TV shows, etc. The reasons for this are not exactly clear; it may partly be as a result of post 9/11 anxieties, the increasing incidence of extreme weather and/or environmental anomalies, chaotic fluctuations in the economy and the uncertain and shifting political landscape in the west in general. Investigating this highly topical and pervasive theme from interdisciplinary perspectives this volume presents various angles on the main topic through critical analyses of selected works of fiction, film, TV shows, video games and more.
The Cambridge Companion to Apocalyptic Literature by Call Number: Ebook - Access online using link in Virgo.ISBN: 9781108422703Publication Date: 2020Jewish and Christian apocalypses have captivated theologians, writers, artists, and the general public for centuries, and have had a profound influence on world history from their initial production by persecuted Jews during the second century BCE, to the birth of Christianity - through the demise of the Western Roman Empire and the medieval period, and continuing into modernity. Far from being an outlier concern, or an academic one that may be relegated to the dustbin of history, apocalyptic thinking is ubiquitous and continues to inform nearly all aspects of modern-day life. It addresses universal human concerns: the search for identity and belonging, speculation about the future, and (for some) a blueprint that provides meaning and structure to a seemingly chaotic world. The Cambridge Companion to Apocalyptic Literature brings together a field of leading experts to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject.
Ecoprecarity:Vulnerable Lives in Literature and Culture by Call Number: Ebook - Use link in Virgo record to access.ISBN: 9780367271053Publication Date: 2019Ecoprecarity: Vulnerable Lives in Literature and Culture presents an examination of ecoprecarity - the precarious lives that humans lead in the process and event of ecological disaster, and the increasing precarious state of the environment itself as a result of human interventions - in contemporary literary-cultural texts. It studies the representation of 'invasion narratives' of the human body and the earth by alien life forms, the ecodystopian vision that informs much environmental thought in popular cultures, the states of ontological integrity and genetic belonging in the age of cloning, xenotransplantation and biotechnology's 'capitalisation' of life itself, and the construction of the 'wild' in these texts. It pays attention to the ecological uncanny and the monstrous that haunts ecodystopias and forms of natureculture that emerge in the bioeconomies since the late twentieth century.
Memory and Utopian Agency in Utopian/Dystopian Literature by Call Number: Ebook - Access online using link in Virgo.ISBN: 9781000165630Publication Date: 2020For a genre that imagines possible futures as a means of critiquing the present, utopian/dystopian fiction has been surprisingly obsessed with how the past is remembered. Memory and Utopian Agency in Utopian/Dystopian Literature: Memory of the Future examines modern and contemporary utopian/dystopian literature's preoccupation with memory, asserting that from the nineteenth century onward, memory and forgetting feature as key problematics in the genre as well as sources of the utopian impulse. Through a series of close readings of utopian/dystopian novels informed by theory and dialectics, Hanson provides a case study history of how and why memory emerged as a problem for utopia, and how recent dystopian texts situate memory as a crucial mode of utopian agency. Hanson demonstrates that many modern and contemporary writers of the genre consider the presence of certain forms of memory as necessary to the project of imagining better societies or to avoiding possible dystopian outcomes.
Modern Dystopian Fiction and Political Thought: Narratives of World Politics by Call Number: Ebook - Access online using link in Virgo.ISBN: 9781138101272Publication Date: 2018Over the past few years, 'dystopia' has become a word with increasing cultural currency. This volume argues that we live in dystopian times, and more specifically that a genre of fiction called "dystopia" has, above others, achieved symbolic cultural value in representing fears and anxieties about the future. As such, dystopian fictions do not merely mirror what is happening in the world: in becoming such a ready referent for discussions about such varied topics as governance, popular culture, security, structural discrimination, environmental disasters and beyond, the narrative conventions and generic tropes of dystopian fiction affect the ways in which we grapple with contemporary political problems, economic anxieties and social fears. The volume addresses the development of the narrative methods and generic conventions of dystopian fiction as a mode of socio-political critique across the first half of the twentieth century. It examines how a series of texts from an age of political extremes contributed to political discourse and rhetoric both in its contemporary setting and in the terms in which we increasingly cast our cultural anxieties. Includes chapter on Forster's "The Machine Stops."
Postapocalyptic Fiction and the Social Contract: "We'll Not Go Home Again" by Call Number: Ebook - Access online using link in VirgoISBN: 9780739142035Publication Date: 2010Postapocalyptic Fiction and the Social Contract provides a framework for our fascination with the apocalyptic events. The popular appeal of the end of the world genre is clear in movies, novels, and television shows. Even our political debates over global warming, nuclear threats, and pandemic disease reflect a concern about the possibility of such events. This popular fascination is really a fascination with survival: how can we come out alive? And what would we do next? The end of the world is not about species death, but about beginning again. This book uses postapocalyptic fiction as a terrain for thinking about the state of nature: the hypothetical fiction that is the driving force behind the social contract. The latter half of the book examines Octavia Butler's postapocalyptic Parable series in which a new kind of social contract emerges, one built on the fact of human dependence and vulnerability.
Worlds Apart? Dualism and Transgression in Contemporary Female Dystopias by Call Number: Ebook - Access online using link in Virgo (accessible through HathiTrust - sign in as UVA user)ISBN: 9780786421428Publication Date: 2005Literary critics and scholars have written extensively on the demise of the "utopian spirit" in the modern novel. What has often been overlooked is the emergence of a new hybrid subgenre, particularly in science fiction and fantasy, which incorporates utopian strategies within the dystopian narrative, particularly in the feminist dystopias of the 1980s and 1990s. The author names this new subgenre "transgressive utopian dystopias." Suzette Haden Elgin's Native Tongue trilogy, Suzy McKee Charna's Holdfast series, and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale are thoroughly analyzed within the context of this this new subgenre of "transgressive utopian dystopias." Analysis focuses particularly on how these works cover the interrelated categories of gender, race and class, along with their relationship to classic literary dualism and the dystopian narrative. Without completely dissolving the dualistic order, the feminist dystopias studied here contest the notions of unambiguity and authenticity that are generally part of the canon.
