Unless your instructor suggests otherwise, use MLA (Modern Language Association) style for formatting passages quoted from literary works.

MLA style usually requires that you name the author of the work quoted and give a page number for the exact location of the passage in the work. When writing about nonfiction articles and books, introduce a quotation with a signal phrase naming the author (John Smith points out that “…. . .”) or place the author’s name and page number in parentheses at the end of the quoted passage: “…. . .” for all time (Smith 22).

When writing about a single work of fiction, however, you do not need to include the author’s name each time you quote from the work. You will mention the author’s name in the introduction to your paper. Then, when you are quoting from the work, you may include just the page number in parentheses following the quotation (see L5-f). You can still use the author’s name in a signal phrase to highlight the author’s role or technique, but you are not required to do so. (See also L5-a.)

Additional MLA guidelines for handling citations in the text of your paper appear in L5.