TA David Milman

Milman1

David Milman

TA David Milman

Introduction to Literary Studies 1001

14 November 2016

An Example of Acceptable Formatting

This style of format is the result of “a small group of distinguished scholars [who] came together with a radical idea: that modern languages deserved the same respect in higher education as classical languages” (Feal). I expect you to follow this format exactly. That does not mean, however, that every citation will look exactly the same. Citations are formatted in specific ways based on their context, just like punctuation.

For example, the reason that the period after my last citation is located outside the quotation marks is because citations in the body of the text must be part of the sentence that contains the information being cited. If I was using quotations marks to emphasize the last word of a sentence, I would punctuate the sentence like this “instead.” Similarly, as I am citing a Kindle version of theMLA Handbook 8th Edition that does not include page numbers, I could not include a page number in the citation I provided above. Normally, a citation would look like this: (Name #), where “Name” is an author’s last name and “#” equals the page number on which the quote is located.For example, DarkoSuvin writes, “SF has particularly affected some key strata of modern society…” (Suvin 372).

That being said, if page numbers are not available, you should always look for some other manner in which tospecify thelocation of a quote and then “change the label appropriately if another kind of part is numbered in the source instead of pages…” (MLA, “Organize: Creating your Documentation”). In this case, the part of the text I am quoting does not have numbered sections, so I am forced to cite the name of the chapter in which the quote is located. If I was providing a quote from one of the numbered sections of the text, my quote would have looked something like this: “with the exception of very famous persons (such as Shakespeare or Dante), statesomeone’s name fully the first time you use it in your discussion” (MLA, sect. 1.1.1). Note that no comma is located after the normal “(Name #)” model, but a comma is required after the author’s last name if you are using a chapter or an alternative number label such as “sect.” to specify the quote’s location. Likewise, note that if a specific author is not available, one may use the “corporate author” responsible for the text’s publication (sect. 2.1.3).

During your research process, you should notice that some “sources mayemploy location indicators besides page numbers. An e-book (a work formatted for reading on an electronic device) may include a numbering system that tells users their location in the work” (Kindle Locations 2602-2603). The Handbook does not allow you to use such information to cite a quote “unless you know that it appears consistently to other users” (Kindle Locations 2603-2604). If you are wondering why I did not include the name of an author in those examples, you should read section 3.5 “Repeated Use of Sources” or ask your instructor for more advice. Additionally, while I have used multiple formats to cite a single text in this “Example” for pedagogic reasons, all of your citations for a single text in any paper you write should be uniform.

I still need to give you a good example of an indented and set-off quotation. I think I have the perfect choice:

If a quotation extends to more than four lines when run into your text, set it off from the text as a block indented half an inch from the left margin. Do not indent the first line an extra amount or add quotation marks not present in the original. A colon introduces a quotation displayed in this way except when the grammatical connection between your introductory wording and the quotation requires a different mark of punctuation or none at all….If a new paragraph begins in themiddle of the quotation, indent its first line.(Kindle Locations 1540-1549)

The ellipsis combined with the fourth period indicates that a section of text longer than a sentence was omitted from my above quote. When using such long quotations, you should always try and follow the quotation with a few sentences of additional analysis. You should use such long quotations sparingly. Like the semicolon, they generate additional value and meaning as a result of their rarity; you should think of these types of tactics as the settings for the rhetorical diamonds of your essays.

Up to this point, my “Example” has focused on a style of citation that is appropriate for use with prose texts. When you cite Shakespeare, the (Name #) model or its above variants is no longer acceptable. Instead, you cite the abbreviated name of the play followed by the act, scene, and line numbers, each of which is represented by Arabic numerals divided from each other by periods (Kindle Locations 2498-2506). The abbreviations for his various plays can be found in the Handbook. For example, Midsummer Night’s Dream is referenced asMND (Kindle Location 2122).

Likewise, the textual format of any quote you take from one of Shakespeare’s plays should usually be formatted as if you are citing verse despite the fact that the texts contain prose passages (Kindle Locations 2576-2580). The Handbook notes that “you may … incorporate two or three lines in this way, using a forward slash with a space on each side ( / ) to indicate to your reader where the line breaks fall….If a stanza break occurs in the quotation, mark it with two forward slashes ( // )” (Kindle Locations 1560-1566). For example, Oberon asks, “How canst though thus, for shame, Titania / Glance at my credit with Hippolyta, / Knowing I know thy love to Theseus?” (MND 2.1.74-75).Quoting four or more lines requires a double indented set-off quotation that is true to the original’s format.

If your quote spans the statements of two or more characters, use the format reserved for drama:

Begin each part of the dialogue with the appropriate character’s name, indented half an inch from the left margin and written in all capital letters: HAMLET. Followthe name with a period and then start the quotation. Indent all subsequent lines in that character’s speech an additional amount. When the dialogue shifts to another character, start a new line indented half an inch. Maintain this pattern throughout the entire quotation. (MLA, Kindle Locations 1604-1606).

As an example:

OBERON.Tarry, rash wonton. Am not I thy lord?

TITANIA. Then I must be thy lady; but I know

When thou hast stolen…. (MND 2.1.63-65)

Note that despite the indented, set-off quotations, I have not yet introduced a paragraph break. As such, the lines of text that follow the quotation are flush with the left margin which is, in turn, indented one inch from the edge of the page.

For additional information, you should read the Handbook.I have nothing more to add. I hope you will all follow these instructions carefully. Failure to follow these instructions can result in strict penalties. It would be a shame to ruin the grade of a well-written paper with such penalties.

Works Cited

Feal, Rosemary G. Forward.MLA Handbook, 8th ed., MLA of America, 2016, Kindle

Locations 133-145.

MLA Handbook. 8th ed., MLA of America, 2016.

Shakespeare, William. Midsummer Night’s Dream.The Norton Introduction to Literature,

shorter 12th ed., by Kelly J. Mays, edited by Spencer Richarson-Jones et al., W. W. Norton & Company, 2016, pp. 1294-1349.

Suvin, Darko. “On the Poetics of the Science Fiction Genre.”College English, vol.34, no. 3,

1972, pp. 372-383. JSTOR, .Accessed 14 Dec. 2009.