To Quote or Not to Quote

To quote or not to quote...that is the question. First, a distinction ought to be made between the need for quotations as opposed to the need for citations in an essay. Citations are simply crediting the work parenthetically after an idea is borrowed, without quoting. Quotations should be used more discriminatingly; as scholarly as these excerpts make your writing look, many of the author's ideas can be summed up in your own words and cited.

So, when is it appropriate to quote? One occasion is when the language of the text itself is a factor in your argument. For instance, if you were writing about Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn to showcase the racial barriers between characters, a summary of a line would simply not create the same effect as say quoting "'NOW, old Jim, you're a free man again, and I bet you won't ever be a slave no more.' 'En a mighty good job it wuz, too, Huck. It 'uz planned beautiful, en it 'uz done beautiful; en dey ain't NOBODY kin git up a plan dat's mo' mixed-up en splendid den what dat one was'" (38-39). Here, Jim, the runaway slave, is juxtaposed with the title character. Specifically, Twain's use of phonetic vernacular exemplifies the racial and cultural barriers between the two characters. In this case, you see, a summary of the line would simply not create the same effect.

Other times "to quote:"

• If the text holds historical value
  
• If a particular line or section jumps out at you
• If the line(s) is essential to the storyline, argument, character development, or context as explored in your essay

-James Morganti

Return to Writing

It may be 80° outside right now, but summer is slowly fading away. One minute we’re reading on a beach, the next we’re reading in a classroom. Backpacks replace tote bags, boots replace flip-flops, notebooks replace Facebook. Soon leaves will be crunching under our feet as we head to our classes, our daily planners filled with assignments and deadlines and projects and, yes, essays.

Don’t worry, though, because the Writing Center is here to help. We’ve expanded our hours (check the sidebar) and are available to assist you throughout the writing process. In addition, I will be undertaking a semester-long project of my own on our blog. Each week, I’ll be posting a step-by-step guide on how to write a literary analysis. I hope to demystify the writing process, break it down into smaller parts, and offer you an accessible resource to turn to as you tackle that paper.

Until then …
~Mary