Finding Books - LITR 201 - Introduction to Science Fiction - Research Guides at Eastern Michigan University

Esearch - Books & Ebooks

Search terms

Finding books that the library owns (in both print and electronic format) can be done via Library Esearch; our online catalog (see link above). Choosing the "Advanced Esearch" option is recommended. Follow these three steps to retrieve just the books we have on SF.

1. On the "Advanced Esearch" page enter the terms "Science Fiction" in one search box and "History and Criticism" in another. Change the drop-down menu to the left of the search boxes from the default "All Fields" search to "Subject Terms".

2. Beneath the search boxes find "Show Content Type" and choose "Book/eBbook".

3. A bit further down, under "Show Only" click the box next to "Items in the Library Catalog".

This will yield hundreds of results. For books about a particular author and their works you can search their names and titles of their books or stories as "Subject Terms" as well.

Keep in mind that books we do not have in our collection can be requested via Interlibrary Loan.

Here are some additional subject searches that might be useful-

Aliens in literature

Artificial Intelligence

Cyborgs

Cyberspace

Dystopias in literature

End of the world in literature

Future, the, in literature

Life on other planets in literature

Literature and science

Physics in literature

Science fiction films

Science fiction television programs

Space and time in literature

Time travel in literature

Utopias in literature

All of these are official Library of Congress Subject Headings and can be searched as such to help you find more focused results. If you are not sure a term is a subject heading then begin by searching it in "All Fields" (which is essentially a more forgiving keyword search).

What follows is a list of a few recommended books that can be found on the third floor of the library:

Science Fiction by David Seed
Call Number: PN 3433.5 .S44 2011
ISBN: 0199557454
Publication Date: 2011-07-14
Science Fiction has proved notoriously difficult to define. It has been explained as a combination of romance, science and prophecy; as a genre based on an imagined alternative to the reader's environment; and as a form of fantastic fiction and historical literature. It has also been argued that science fiction narratives are the most engaged, socially relevant, and responsive to the modern technological environment. This Very Short Introduction doesn't offer a history of science fiction, but instead ties examples of science fiction to different historicalmoments, in order to demonstrate how science fiction has evolved over time. David Seed looks not only at literature, but also at drama and poetry, as well as film. Examining recurrent themes in science fiction he looks at voyages into space, the concept of the alien and alternative social identities, the role of technology in science fiction, and its relation to time - inthe past, present, and future.
The Science Fiction Handbook by M. Keith Booker; Anne-Marie Thomas
Call Number: PR 830 .S35 2009
ISBN: 1405162066
Publication Date: 2009-04-20
The Science Fiction Handbook offers a comprehensive and accessible survey of one of the literary world′s most fascinating genres. Includes separate historical surveys of key subgenres including time-travel narratives, post-apocalyptic and post-disaster narratives and works of utopian and dystopian science fiction Each subgenre survey includes an extensive list of relevant critical readings, recommended novels in the subgenre, and recommended films relevant to the subgenre Features entries on a number of key science fiction authors and extensive discussion of major science fiction novels or sequences Writers and works include Isaac Asimov; Margaret Atwood; George Orwell; Ursula K. Le Guin; The War of the Worlds (1898); Starship Troopers (1959); Mars Trilogy (1993-6); and many more A ′Science Fiction Glossary′ completes this indispensable Handbook
The Routledge Concise History of Science Fiction by Mark Bould; Sherryl Vint
Call Number: PN 3433.5 .B68 2011
ISBN: 0203830164
Publication Date: 2012-02-27
The term 'science fiction' has an established common usage, but close examination reveals that writers, fans, editors, scholars, and publishers often use this word in different ways for different reasons. Exploring how science fiction has emerged through competing versions and the struggle to define its limits, this Concise History: provides an accessible and clear overview of the development of the genre traces the separation of sf from a broader fantastic literature and the simultaneous formation of neighbouring genres, such as fantasy and horror shows the relationship between magazine and paperback traditions in sf publishing is organised by theme and presented chronologically uses text boxes throughout to highlight key works in sf traditions including dystopian, apocalyptic and evolutionary fiction includes a short overview and bullet-pointed conclusion for each chapter. Discussing the place of key works and looking forward to the future of the genre, this book is the ideal starting point both for students and all those seeking a better understanding of science fiction.
The Routledge Companion to Science Fiction by Mark Bould (Editor); Andrew M. Butler (Editor); Sherryl Vint (Editor); Adam Roberts (Editor)
Call Number: PN 3433.5 .R69 2009
ISBN: 041545378X
Publication Date: 2009-03-16
The Routledge Companion to Science Fictionis a comprehensive overview of the history and study of science fiction. It outlines major writers, movements, and texts in the genre, established critical approaches and areas for future study. Fifty-six entries by a team of renowned international contributors are divided into four parts which look, in turn, at: history - an integrated chronological narrative of the genre's development theory - detailed accounts of major theoretical approaches including feminism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, cultural studies, postcolonialism, posthumanism and utopian studies issues and challenges - anticipates future directions for study in areas as diverse as science studies, music, design, environmentalism, ethics and alterity subgenres - a prismatic view of the genre, tracing themes and developments within specific subgenres. Bringing into dialogue the many perspectives on the genre The Routledge Companion to Science Fictionis essential reading for anyone interested in the history and the future of science fiction and the way it is taught and studied.
The Oxford Handbook of Science Fiction by Rob Latham (Editor)
Call Number: PN 3433.5 .O94 2014
ISBN: 0199838844
Publication Date: 2014-10-01
The Oxford Handbook of Science Fiction attempts to descry the historical and cultural contours of SF in the wake of technoculture studies. Rather than treating the genre as an isolated aesthetic formation, it examines SF's many lines of cross-pollination with technocultural realities since itsinception in the nineteenth century, showing how SF's unique history and subcultural identity has been constructed in ongoing dialogue with popular discourses of science and technology. The volume consists of four broadly themed sections, each divided into eleven chapters. Section I, "Science Fiction as Genre," considers the internal history of SF literature, examining its characteristic aesthetic and ideological modalities, its animating social and commercial institutions, and itsrelationship to other fantastic genres. Section II, "Science Fiction as Medium," presents a more diverse and ramified understanding of what constitutes the field as a mode of artistic and pop-cultural expression, canvassing extra-literary manifestations of SF ranging from film and television tovideogames and hypertext to music and theme parks. Section III, "Science Fiction as Culture," examines the genre in relation to cultural issues and contexts that have influenced it and been influenced by it in turn, the goal being to see how SF has helped to constitute and define important(sub)cultural groupings, social movements, and historical developments during the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. Finally, Section IV, "Science Fiction as Worldview," explores SF as a mode of thought and its intersection with other philosophies and large-scale perspectives on theworld, from the Enlightenment to the present day.