What Is a Long Quotation? If your quotation is longer than four lines, it is a considered a long quotation. This can also be referred to as a block quotation. Rules for Long Quotations There are 4 rules that apply to long quotations that are different from regular quotations:
Example of a Long Quotation Vivian Gornick describes the process of maturing as a reader as a reckoning with human limitations: Suddenly, literature, politics, and analysis came together, and I began to think more inclusively about the emotional imprisonment of mind and spirit to which all human beings are heir. In the course of analytic time, it became apparent that—with or without the burden of social justice—the effort required to attain any semblance of inner freedom was extraordinary. Great literature, I then realized, is a record not of the achievement, but of the effort. With this insight as my guiding light, I began to interpret the lives and work of women and men alike who had spent their years making literature. (x-xi) Author It can sometimes be difficult to find out who the author of a website is. Remember that an author can be a corporation or group, not only a specific person. Author information can sometimes be found under an "About" section on a website. If there is no known author, start the citation with the title of the website instead. Title Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as: in, of, or an. Do not use all-caps (except for words like USA where each letter stands for something), even if the words appear that way on the article. If there is a colon (:) in the title, include what comes after the colon (also known as the subtitle). Publisher The publisher or sponsoring organization can often be found in a copyright notice at the bottom of the home page or on a page that gives information about the site. When the page is authored and published by the same corporation/group/organization, begin your citation with the section title. According to p. 42 of the MLA Handbook, publisher information may be omitted for:
Date The best date to use for a website is the date that the content was last updated. Otherwise look for a copyright or original publication date. Unfortunately this information may not be provided or may be hard to find. Often date information is located on the bottom of the pages of a website. If you do not know the complete date, put as much information as you can find. For example, you may have a year but no month or day. Access Date Date of access is optional in MLA 9th edition. If no publication date is included, we recommend including the date you last accessed the site. |