(Adapted from Professor Erika Kreger)

NOTES ON USING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
& MLA CITATION FORM

The purpose of an expository essay or a research paper is to present to the reader an idea or opinion about Some problem or question, and to support that thesis with enough evidence and reasons to be convincing The task of the writer, therefore, is similar to that of a lawyer who must argue before a jury that her client is innocent. In like manner, the author of an essay must persuade her audience that her theory is plausible. To achieve this goal, the writer must be wellorganized, clear and authoritative in presenting her thesis and supporting material. The objective is to convince. Thus one must explain and prove the main idea, from introduction to conclusion, from one substantiating point to the next, in a manner that allows the reader to understand clearly what has been stated and permits him little reason to doubt the thesis. Such a presentation produces effective, persuasive and powerful writing.

--Elaine Johnson

FORCEFUL USE OF TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

When writing about literature, the text is the primary source of evidence. To present a convincing and persuasive analysis, the essay writer must demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the text by presenting carefully chosen, pertinent quotations which support each point the essay writer makes.

MECHANICAL RULES

A. Citing Quotations. The source of each quotation must be cited appropriately. MLA (Modern Language Association) form allows a writer to cite a work within the text of the essay and then place full bibliographic information in a list of works cited. [When citing a class text, however, many teachers do not consider it necessary to provide a works cited list so long as the page numbers are consistent with the assigned course book. Check with your instructors about their preferences. For this class you do not need a works cited list unless you are citing outside unassigned sources.]

When using MLA form, if your sentence makes clear what text the quotation is taken from, then you need only list the page number. An example of MLA form, listing only page number:

Fitzgerald tells us that many people arrived at Gatsby's parties without an invitation, bringing with them only "a simplicity of heart that was its

own ticket of admission" (41).

If the sentence does not make clear what text the quotation is taken from, then include the author's name with the page number. An example of MLA form, listing author and page number:

His charisma was apparent in his smile, "one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it" (Fitzgerald 48).

If an essay discusses more than one work by a single author, give an abbreviated form of the title along with the page number. An example of MLA form, listing title and page number:

In both novels, Fitzgerald presents characters possessing a "heightened sensitivity to the promises of life" (Gatsby2).

NOTE: the period comes after the page reference in quotations and there is no need to add a "p" or "pg' to show that you are speaking about pages.

B. Indented Quotations. Any quotation which would occupy four lines or more of an essay's text Must be indented The quoted text is indented one inch from the left margin and typed doublespaced. Such quotations are often introduced by a colon. For example, an indented quotation would be inserted like this:

The inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island. [... ] Its vanished trees that had made way for

Gatsby's house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must

have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to

face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder. (182)

Note: the indented quotation does not have quotation marks around it. The indention identifies it as a quotation. And unlike a sentence with a quotation where the parenthetical documentation comes before the period, here the page citation comes after the period.

After presenting an indented quotation the writer must provide a detailed discussion of the quoted material. If the quoted text does not merit such indepth analysis, it certainly does not merit occupying so much space in the essay. Because lengthy quotations require complete development it is wise to limit the number of indented quotations in shorter essays A good rule of thumb is to have no more than one indented quotation in a paper shorter than eight pages. One rarely needs indented quotations in test essays.

C. Ellipses. Ellipses, three dots or periods with spaces between them, are used to show that text has Been omitted from a quotation. NOTE: It is not necessary to put ellipses at the beginning or end of a Quotation unless you have a very good reason for emphasizing the incompleteness of a phrase The most current MLA guidelines also suggest putting the ellipses in square brackets to make clear that the ellipses were not part of the original passage. Since this is a recent change in the guidelines, one still sees ellipses with and without brackets.

INCORRECT: Gatsby's charisma was apparent in his smile, ". . . one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it. ." (48).

CORRECT: Gatsby's charisma was apparent in his smile, "one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it" (48).

ALSO CORRECT: Nick is disillusioned with Tom and Daisy in the end; he tells us, "they were careless ... they smashed up things ... and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness" (180).

ALSO CORRECT: Nick is disillusioned with Tom and Daisy in the end; he tells us, "they were careless II... ] they smashed up things [.. ]and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness" (180)

USE QUOTATIONS AS EVIDENCE NOT AS A MEANS OF SUMMARIZING THE TEXT

Beware of falling into a sequential discussion which leads one into retelling the plot or paraphrasing the text. You do not want to get stuck summarizing plot or argument. You want to analyze and interpret the text in order to arrive at a thoughtfully developed thesis which provides the reader with new insight into the work being discussed. Each quotation and example should strengthen and support your argument.t

ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR USING EVIDENCE

1. Setup every quotation. An essay writer always wants to be sure it is clear to the reader where a quotation comes from, who is speaking, what is being described, etc. Do not simply state your point and then follow it with a quotation without making clear how that quotation supports your argument.

AWKWARD: Jordan demonstrates little curiosity about Gatsby. "He's just a man named Gatsby" (49).

BETTER: Jordan demonstrates little curiosity about Gatsby. When Nick asks her about their mysterious host, she replies simply, "He's just a

man named Gatsby" (49).

If you want to make clear the position of a quotation in the text, do not write that "on page 41 Gatsby says...".Instead, mention what is taking place at that point in the novel, "when Nick first meets Gatsby," or mention the chapter, "in Chapter Three."

2. Avoid unnecessary phrases. With practice, it becomes possible to incorporate supporting quotations into one's writing without preceding them with phrases which identify them as evidence. Phrases such as, "This quotation demonstrates that," or "the following lines show the reader that," are generally unnecessary and awkward.

AWKWARD: In addition to a charismatic personality, Gatsby also possesses great physical grace and agility. As the following quotation

points out: "He was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American" (64).

BETTER: In addition to a charismatic personality, Gatsby also possesses great physical grace and agility. Nick comments upon this as he

watches Gatsby "balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American" (64).

3. Use quotations economically. Part of using evidence successfully and demonstrating that you know the text well involves choosing quotations carefully. A writer who quotes six lines where four words would do, reveals that s/he has not analyzed the text with sufficient care. Often it is not necessary to quote an entire sentence; individual phrases can often provide concise and forceful support.

WORDY:

From the moment Nick encounters Jordan, he is impressed by her independence. He sees her sitting "full length on the divan, completely

motionless, and with her chin raised a little as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall;" and he is "almost surprised

into murmuring an apology for having disturbed her by coming in" (8 9).When Jordan does nod "imperceptibly and then quickly [tip] her

head back againthe object she was balancing had obviously tottered a little and given her something of a fright,"" again a sort of apology

arose to [Nicks] lips" (9). He comments, "almost any exhibition of complete self-sufficiency draws a stunned tribute from me" (9).

BETTER:

From the moment Nick encounters Jordan, he is impressed by her independence. He is initially struck by an urge to apologize for intruding

upon the "motionless" young woman who sits as though balancing something on her chin, for any "exhibition of complete self-sufficiency

draws a stunned tribute" from him(8).

Although you want to be economical in your use of quotations, do not fall into the trap of sacrificing clarity in the name of brevity. If you need a longer quotation to make your point, use it. Don't leave your reader wondering how a quotation is connected to the point you are making. It is almost never appropriate or effective for a quotation to stand alone as its own sentence without any setup or introductory phrase

UNCONNECTED QUOTATION:

People at Gatsby's partie stalk about him, Generating even more curiosity and rumors. "This party had preserved

a dignified homogeneity" (45).

BETTER:

People at Gatsby's parties talk about him, generating even more curiosity and rumors: "it was testimony to the romantic speculation he inspires that there were whispers about him from those who had found little it was necessary to whisper about in this world" (44).

COMPARE THESE PARAGRAPHS

UNSUPPORTED:

Within the first few paragraphs of The Great Gatsby, the reader becomes familiar withthe narrator's distinctive voice.

Nick Carraway claims to be telling us about himself, who he is and how he views the world. Events throughout the novel,

however, demonstrate that his self perception is not wholly accurate. He says things about himself that his own narration

proves false. This ironic opening reveals how Fitzgerald uses the first person narrative, not only to tell us about Gatsby,

but also to tell us about Nick.

SUPPORTED:

Within the first few paragraphs of The Great Gatsby, the reader becomes familiar with the narrator's distinctive voice. Nick Carraway begins

by telling us the advice his Father gave to him in his "younger and more vulnerable years," but we soon find out that this speaker is still quite

a young man (1). Nick claims he has learned from his father's words and now is "inclined to reserve all judgments," for he believes that

"reserving Judgments is a matter of infinite hope" (1). Yet, throughout the novel Nick does little else Besides cast judgment on the people

he describes. He determines that Jordan is dishonest And "instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men;" and later he tells us she deals

in "universal skepticism"(59, 81). He claims that Tom is arrogant, that Daisy wants others to shape her life for her, and that both crush people

around them with cruel carelessness (114,151, 180). About Gatsby, Nick offers many judgments. He had "disapproved of [Gatsby] from

beginning to end" and felt his mysterious neighbor had "paid a high price for living Too long with a single dream" (154, 162). In the end,

Nick groups all of them together and Judges what caused their difficulties: "Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners,

and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life" (177). Although Nick may start out

wishing to refrain

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