Many times, an analysis of literature relies wholly on the primary source—the literary work under discussion. In addition to relying on primary sources, some analyses draw on secondary sources: essays of literary criticism, a biography or autobiography of the author, or histories of the era in which the work was written. When you use secondary sources, you must document them with MLA in-text citations and a list of works cited as explained in 56. (For an example of a paper that uses secondary sources, see 7h.)
Keep in mind that even when you use secondary sources, your main goal should be to develop your own understanding and interpretation of the literary work.
Whenever you use secondary sources, you must document them to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is unacknowledged borrowing of a source’s words or ideas. (See 54b.)
Documenting secondary sources
Most literature papers use the documentation system recommended by the Modern Language Association (MLA). This system of documentation is discussed in detail in 56.
MLA recommends in-text citations that refer readers to a list of works cited. An in-text citation names the author of the source, often in a signal phrase, and gives the page number in parentheses. At the end of the paper, a list of works cited provides publication information about the sources used in the paper.
mla in-text citation
Finding Butler’s science fiction novel Xenogenesis more hopeful than Frankenstein, Theodora Goss and John Paul Riquelme note that “[h]uman and creature never bridge their differences in Shelley’s narrative, but in Butler’s they do . . . ” (437).
sample entry in the list of works cited
Goss, Theodora, and John Paul Riquelme. “From Superhuman to Posthuman: The Gothic Technological Imaginary in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis.” Modern Fiction Studies 53.3 (2007): 434-59. Print.
As you document secondary sources with in-text citations and a list of works cited, you will need to consult 56a and 56b.
Avoiding plagiarism; being responsible
The rules about plagiarism are the same for literary papers as for other academic and research writing (see 51c and 54 for important details). To be fair and ethical, you must acknowledge your responsibility to the writers of any sources you use. If another critic’s work suggested an interpretation to you or if someone else’s research clarified an obscure point, it is your responsibility to cite the source. In addition to citing the source, you must place any borrowed language in quotation marks and credit the author. In the following example, the plagiarized words are highlighted.
original source
Here again Glaspell’s story reflects a larger truth about the lives of rural women. Their isolation induced madness in many. The rate of insanity in rural areas, especially for women, was a much-discussed subject in the second half of the nineteenth century.
—Elaine Hedges, “Small Things Reconsidered:‘A Jury of Her Peers,’” p. 59
plagiarism
Glaspell may or may not want us to believe that Minnie Wright’s murder of her husband is an insane act, but Minnie’s loneliness and isolation certainly could have driven her mad. As Elaine Hedges notes, the rate of insanity in rural areas, especially for women, was a much-discussed subject in the second half of the nineteenth century (59).
borrowed language in quotation marks
Glaspell may or may not want us to believe that Minnie Wright’s murder of her husband is an insane act, but Minnie’s loneliness and isolation certainly could have driven her mad. As Elaine Hedges notes, “The rate of insanity in rural areas, especially for women, was a much-discussed subject in the second half of the nineteenth century” (59).
Sometimes writers plagiarize unintentionally because they have difficulty paraphrasing a source’s ideas. In the first paraphrase of the following source, the writer has copied the highlighted words (without quotation marks) and followed the sentence structure of the source too closely, merely plugging in synonyms (prowess for skill, respect for esteem, and so on).
original source
Mothers [in the late nineteenth century] were advised to teach their daughters to make small, exact stitches, not only for durability but as a way of instilling habits of patience, neatness, and diligence. But such stitches also became a badge of one’s needlework skill, a source of self-esteem and of status, through the recognition and admiration of other women.
—Elaine Hedges, “Small Things Reconsidered:‘A Jury of Her Peers,’” p. 62
plagiarism: unacceptable borrowing
One of the final clues in the story, the irregular stitching in Minnie’s quilt patches, connects immediately with Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. In the late nineteenth century, explains Elaine Hedges, small, exact stitches were valued not only for their durability. They became a badge of one’s prowess with the needle, a source of self-respect and of prestige, through the recognition and approval of other women (62).
acceptable paraphrase
One of the final clues in the story, the irregular stitching in Minnie’s quilt patches, connects immediately with Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. In the late nineteenth century, explains Elaine Hedges, precise needlework was valued for more than its strength. It was a source of pride to women, a way of gaining status in the community of other women (62).
Although the acceptable version uses a few words found in the source, it does not borrow entire phrases without quotation marks or closely mimic the structure of the original. To write an acceptable paraphrase, resist the temptation to look at the source while you write; instead, write from memory. When you write from memory, you will be more likely to use your own words. Ask yourself, “What is the author’s meaning?” and then in your own words state your understanding of the author’s basic point.