MLA Citation of Poems
The rules for citing a poem in Modern Language Association style differ, slightly, from the rules that govern citing prose sources. Because poetry comes in many publication forms -- on the Internet, in a textbook or anthology, or as a book itself -- the correct MLA citation of poems can follow a few different formats.
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Citing the Author
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Often, you may need to cite a poem from a collection of poems, such as an anthology or textbook. In that case, the author, editor or compiler of the cited work may differ from the author of the actual poem, which can cause confusion. In the text, and at the beginning of the Works Cited citation, always cite the author of the poem itself as the proper author. The rest of the Works Cited citation will provide more information about the editor.
Citing Line Numbers
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When citing classic, very well-known poetry -- such as a Shakespeare play or Homer's Odyssey -- cite line numbers instead of page numbers. For example, the MLA explains, write "Iliad 9.19" to cite the 19th line of the Iliad's 9th section.
If citing a poetic play, write the name of the play, then the act, scene and line numbers: "Romeo and Juliet 2.3.12-14."
If citing lines from a famous single poem, write "line" or "lines" in the first citation to specify that you're not citing page numbers: "Frost line 5." In subsequent citations, just use numbers: "Frost 10-11."
If you're citing a poem from an anthology, the citation in the Works Cited section will list the poem's page numbers in the book. Hence, you can just cite line numbers in the text.
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Citing the Title of a Poem
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If the poem belongs within a larger work, cite the poem's title in quotation marks. If the poem comprises an entire book, such as T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land, then write it in italics. These guidelines apply both in the body of the paper and in the Works Cited list.
"Works Cited" Citation for a Poem in an Anthology
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To cite the poem as an article or chapter within a larger work, cite the poem's author at the beginning -- last name, then first name. Next, write the poem's title, enclosed in quotation marks. Then cite the name of the book, and then the name of the editor -- followed by location, publisher and year. Next, cite the page numbers where the poem is located in the book, and then specify the type of source: "Print."
"Works Cited" Citation for a Poem on the Internet
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To cite a poem from a website, cite the poem's author and title. Next, cite the original location of the poem's publication and the year in which the poem was originally published, if available, instead of the date the website uploaded or published the article. If the poem has only appeared on the Internet, never in print, then cite the date of its website publication. Next, cite the medium of publication -- "Web" -- and then the date you accessed the Web page.
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References
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