Ever been captivated by a poem, felt its rhythm resonate within you, and wanted to share its magic with others? Properly citing a poem in MLA format is more than just following rules; it’s about giving credit to the poet whose words inspired you and allowing your readers to delve deeper into the source of your inspiration. Failing to cite properly can be considered plagiarism, undermining your credibility and potentially harming the poet’s intellectual property.
Whether you’re writing a literary analysis, research paper, or simply quoting a favorite verse in a blog post, accuracy and consistency are key. MLA style provides a standardized framework for acknowledging sources, ensuring that your readers can easily locate the original poem. Mastering this skill enhances your academic integrity and enriches your writing with a deeper understanding of the poetic tradition.
Frequently Asked Questions About Citing Poetry in MLA
How do I cite a poem in MLA format if it’s from a website?
To cite a poem found on a website in MLA format, you’ll generally need the author’s name (if available), the poem’s title, the website’s title, the publication date or date of access, and the URL. The core structure is: Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Poem.” *Title of Website*, Publisher or Sponsor (if different from website title), Date of Publication or last modified date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.
Let’s break down each element further. The author’s name should be inverted (Last Name, First Name). If the author is unknown, begin the citation with the title of the poem. Enclose the poem’s title in quotation marks. The website’s title is italicized, indicating the larger container holding the poem. Look for a “Publisher” or “Sponsor” entity, especially if the website is affiliated with an organization; include this after the website title, separated by a comma. Include the date of publication or the date the website was last modified, if available. If no publication date is given, use the date you accessed the website preceded by “Accessed.” Finally, include the full URL. Ensure the URL is stable and directly links to the specific poem, not just the website’s homepage.
For example, consider citing Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” from PoetryFoundation.org. A correct MLA citation would look like this: Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Raven.” *Poetry Foundation*, Poetry Foundation, poetryfoundation.org/poems/70121/the-raven-56d22b01a2977. Accessed 15 July 2024. Remember to adapt this template based on the specific information available for the poem and website you are citing.
How is citing a stanza different from citing a full poem in MLA?
Citing a stanza in MLA differs from citing a full poem primarily in how you indicate the specific lines you’re referencing. When citing a full poem, your in-text citation will typically include the author’s last name and line numbers. However, when citing only a stanza, you still include the author’s last name but specify the line numbers of the stanza you’re quoting, ensuring the reader can pinpoint the exact lines within the broader poem. The Works Cited entry remains the same regardless of whether you cite the whole poem or just a stanza, as it refers to the entire published source.
The key distinction lies in the in-text citation. For example, if you were citing lines 5-8 of a poem by Emily Dickinson, your in-text citation would look like this: (Dickinson, lines 5-8). If you were citing lines spanning multiple stanzas, you would indicate the range accordingly, such as (Dickinson, lines 12-16). This level of specificity allows readers to quickly locate the quoted material within the poem’s structure. Remember to always consult the original text to verify line numbers, as different editions may have varying lineations.
In your Works Cited entry, you would list the poem as part of the larger collection or anthology in which it appears, following standard MLA formatting for books or websites. This entry provides the reader with the complete publication details. Therefore, the Works Cited entry remains consistent whether you’re citing a single stanza or the entirety of the poem; the difference in citation only comes in the in-text, parenthetical reference, where line numbers pinpoint the quoted portion of the work.
Does the line break indication change when citing poetry in MLA?
Yes, the way you indicate line breaks when citing poetry in MLA format depends on whether you are quoting a few lines within your prose or presenting a longer excerpt as a block quotation. Short quotations integrated into your text use a forward slash (/) to indicate line breaks, while longer quotations set off as a block do not require the slash and instead preserve the poem’s original formatting.
When quoting only one to three lines of poetry within your own sentence, use the forward slash (/) with a space on either side to mark where each line ends. Enclose the entire quotation within double quotation marks. For example: “In Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken,’ the speaker reflects, ‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both / And be one traveler, long I stood’ (1-3).” The parenthetical citation includes the line numbers of the quoted material.
If you are quoting more than three lines of poetry, format the quotation as a block quotation. Indent the entire quotation one inch from the left margin. Do not use quotation marks. Preserve the original line breaks and stanza breaks of the poem. Cite the line numbers in parentheses after the final line. For instance, if you were quoting the entirety of the first stanza from the same poem:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; (1-5)
How do I cite a poem from an anthology in MLA style?
To cite a poem from an anthology in MLA style, you typically need the poem’s author, poem title, anthology editor(s), anthology title, publication information (publisher, year), and page number(s) where the poem appears. The general format is: Author Last Name, First Name. “Poem Title.” *Anthology Title*, edited by Editor First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year, pp. Page Numbers.
When citing a poem from an anthology, accuracy is key. First, locate the author and title of the specific poem you are referencing. Then, gather the information about the anthology itself: the full title, the editor(s), the publisher, and the publication year. Don’t forget the page range where the poem is found within the anthology. This level of detail allows readers to easily locate the poem you are referencing in your works cited page. Here’s an example: Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” *The Norton Anthology of Poetry*, edited by Margaret Ferguson et al., 5th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2005, p. 705. Note that if the anthology has more than three editors, you can use “et al.” after the name of the first editor listed. If the anthology is a later edition, include that information after the editor’s name. If the poem is accessed online from a database rather than a physical book, modify the citation to reflect the database title and URL. Remember to italicize the title of the anthology.
What if the poem’s title is very long; how is that handled in MLA?
In MLA format, if a poem’s title is exceptionally long, you should shorten it within your writing, using an ellipsis to indicate the omission. However, the full, unabbreviated title must always be used in your Works Cited entry. This ensures clarity and allows readers to easily locate the source while avoiding unnecessary bulk in your main text.
When incorporating a long poem title into your sentence, use the shortened version to maintain readability. For example, if the poem is titled “Ode to a Nightingale, and the Fleeting Nature of Joy as Observed Through the Song of a Bird in a Verdant Forest,” you might refer to it as “Ode to a Nightingale…” within the body of your essay. This signals to the reader that the title has been abbreviated. Remember to be judicious in your shortening, selecting a recognizable and meaningful portion of the title to retain.
In your Works Cited entry, provide the full and complete title as it appears in the original source, even if it’s lengthy. This is crucial for accurate source identification. For instance, the Works Cited entry would include: Keats, John. “Ode to a Nightingale, and the Fleeting Nature of Joy as Observed Through the Song of a Bird in a Verdant Forest.” *Anthology of British Poetry*, edited by Jane Doe, 2nd ed., vol. 2, Publisher, 2023, pp. 123-128.
Where does the page number go when citing a poem in MLA?
When citing a poem in MLA format, the placement of the page number depends on whether the poem is published as part of a larger work. If the poem appears in a book or anthology, include the page number after the author’s name and poem title in your parenthetical citation. If the poem is from a website or other source without page numbers, omit the page number and use line numbers instead, separated by commas.
Specifically, if the poem appears in a book, anthology, or journal, your in-text citation should include the author’s last name, the page number where the quoted material appears, all within parentheses. For instance: (Wordsworth 263). If you have already mentioned the author’s name in the sentence, you only need to include the page number in the parenthetical citation. It is important to ensure that your Works Cited entry provides the complete publication information for the book or anthology in question, enabling readers to easily locate the original source.
However, if the poem is from a website or a source that lacks page numbers, use line numbers instead of page numbers in your in-text citation. To indicate line numbers, use the word “line” or “lines” the first time you cite the poem, and then only use the numbers in subsequent citations. For example, (Shakespeare, lines 1-3). If the poem is short and the lines are clear from the context, you might only include the line numbers. If the poem is organized into sections or stanzas, it is acceptable to cite by section or stanza number, if that is how the poem is organized in your source.
And that’s the gist of citing poetry in MLA! Hopefully, this has cleared up any confusion. Thanks for reading, and don’t hesitate to swing by again if you have any more burning citation questions. Happy writing!