Subject Headings allow you to find relevant material grouped together including titles that do not use the keywords you may have been searching.
Finding subject headings
Look at a book record in Tripod, check the subjects assigned to it, and choose whatever ones are relevant for your research.
Example: A decade of dark humor: how comedy, irony, and satire shaped post-9/11 America
edited by Ted Gournelos. University Press of Mississippi, 2001.
Subjects:
Political culture United States History 21st century
September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 Influence
Mass media Political aspects United States
American wit and humor History and criticis
Political satire, American
United States Politics and government 2001-2009 Humor
United States Politics and government 2001-2009
Subject search political satire american = 130 results
Refining subject searches
You can combine different concepts into a single subject search for precision. The results are more focused than a keyword search.
But all the words have to be terminology used in library subject cataloging.
To ensure this, you can use subject headings you have already found. Another option is to look by keyword and check the subject headings for books that deal with your topic.
Combination search:
Searches political satire within the context of the media