DOCUMENTATION
Fiction
Introduce literary quotations
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Don’t drop quotes. A quote should never be a
sentence standing alone.
Use signal phrases to introduce the quote. The
signal phrase can come at the beginning, in the
middle or at the end of quoted material.
Possible signal phrases
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The narrator reveals, “ … ”
“…, ” states Emily, “…”
“…,” Jig replies.
Other present tense verbs like argues, points
out, asserts, defends also may be used.
Introducing literary quotations
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Don’t confuse the author of a literary work with
the narrator of a story or a character in the
story.
Instead of naming the author, you must
attribute information to a character or to the
narrator.
For example, The narrator in “A Rose for
Emily” describes Emily as “a tradition, a duty,
and a care” (245).
Introducing literary quotations
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For example, Faulkner doesn’t comment that
Homer Barron liked men. Instead, the narrator
reveals that Barron liked men (249).
Provide context
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When quoting the exact words of a character,
name the character who is speaking and
provide a context for the spoken words.
For example, Emily tells the Board of
Aldermen, “See Colonel Sartoris” (246).
In this example, Emily tells the Board of
Aldermen is providing context. Is that enough?
Providing context
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For example:
When the new generation of aldermen come to
see Emily about paying taxes, Emily tells them,
“See Colonel Sartoris” (246).
Using present tense
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Use the present tense when writing about
literatures. The characters are still alive to us
today.
For example: Louise Mallard thinks about life
without her husband.
NOT: Louise Mallard thought about life without
her husband.
Avoiding shifts in tense
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Because literature is sometimes written in the
past tense, the writer has to use care when
integrating literary quotations into an essay to
avoid shifts in tense.
TENSE SHIFT:
When Krebs’ mother pushes him about God’s
Kingdom, “Krebs felt embarrassed and
resentful as always.”.
Avoiding shifts in tense
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REVISED
When Krebs’ mother pushes him about God’s
Kingdom, Krebs feels “embarrassed and
resentful as always” (173).
REVISED
When Krebs’ mother pushes him about God’s
Kingdom, “Krebs [feels] embarrassed and
resentful as always” (173).
Using quotations from short stories
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If the quotation takes up fewer than four typed
lines in your essay, put it in quotation marks
and include it in the text of your essay. Include
the author’s last name and a page number in
parenthesis after the quotation.
Jig seems to be giving her opinion of the
“simple operation” when she tells the man,
“And once they take it away, you never get it
back” (254).
Using quotations from short stories
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When the quotation is five typed lines or
longer, it must be set off from the text of the
essay. Do three things.
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Indent the passage one inch.
Do not use quotation marks.
Put the page number in parenthesis after the final
mark of punctuation.
Using quotations from short stories
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The description of the two sides of the valley
seems symbolic. The narrator reveals:
The girl stood up and walked to the
end of the station. Across, on the
other side, were fields of grain and
trees along the banks of the Ebro. Far
away, beyond the river, were
mountains. The shadow of a cloud
moved across the field of grain and
she saw the river through the trees. (253)
Using quotations in short stories
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Lengthy quotations should not be used in place
of your own writing.
Use quotations only when they are absolutely
necessary.
Using quotations in short stories
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DO NOT end paragraphs with quotation marks.
Comment on your quotations and explain to
the reader of your essay why that quotation
was significant.
DO NOT overuse quotations. Use plenty of
specific examples, but use some paraphrases
where you put information into your own words.
Adding words to a quotation
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If words are added to a quotation, use brackets
to distinguish you addition from the original
source. (See the Krebs quote above).
You may need to add brackets to indicate a
person if there is an unclear pronoun, an
unclear verb or something else that is awkward
for the reader. Otherwise, all other words inside
quotation marks must be EXACTLY those of
the author.
Leaving words out of quotations
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Use ellipses to indicate an omission of words.
Punctuating quotations
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Place commas and periods inside quotation
marks unless the parenthetical reference to a
source follows the quotation.
Including a quote with dialogue
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When you are borrowing a portion of text that
includes a line of dialogue, you need to change
the quotation marks around the original
dialogue to single quote marks.
Including a quote with dialogue
EXAMPLE:
Louise Mallard’s sister Josephine talks to her
from behind the symbolic closed door. The
story explains, “Josephine was kneeling before
the closed door with her lips to the keyhole
imploring for admission. ‘Louise, open the
door!’ ” (16).
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