the great gatsby essay mla format

Citation Generators and MLA Style

In previous posts on the Style Center , we have advised writers to use caution when working with online citation generators  and provided a lesson plan for instructors to help students work with and correct citations from these generators. Citation generators function by culling bibliographic details associated with published sources in online databases. So the citations generated depend on both how the developers programmed the generator and the specific details about the sources in the databases. For this reason, the quality of the citations can vary according to the accuracy of the programming instructions and the bibliographic information. Some citation generators include warnings to double-check the accuracy of the citations and some do not.

In this post I discuss three representative examples of automatically generated citations in MLA style and show how to correct them using the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook . All three examples refer to a 1995 edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby .

Example 1: WorldCat

The website  WorldCat.org  provides an option to cite any book found in its database. The button to cite a source is located underneath the image of the book’s cover and displays a quotation mark. If you navigate to the page for the 1995 edition of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby , click the citation button, and then choose “MLA 9th Edition” from the dropdown menu, the following citation is displayed:

Fitzgerald F. Scott and Matthew J Bruccoli.  The Great Gatsby : The Authorized Text . Simon & Schuster 19951992.

There are a few problems with this citation. First is that the author should be Fitzgerald only, not Fitzgerald and Bruccoli. The website specifies that Bruccoli has provided notes for the edition. He is not listed as the editor, so it is not necessary to include his name in the entry, though you can do so if you prefer. Further, the Author element needs a comma: “Fitzgerald, F. Scott.”

The title also needs a bit of revision. Since “The Great Gatsby” is a title within the longer title, it should appear roman: The Great Gatsby : The Authorized Text . Also, according to MLA style, the ampersand in the publisher should be changed to “and.” Finally, the citation generator has mashed two dates together in the Publication Date element at the end. This edition is a 1995 reprint of an edition first published in 1992. Only the date of the specific edition is needed, so the date should read 1995 and be preceded by a comma. Here is the corrected entry:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby : The Authorized Text . Simon and Schuster, 1995.

Or, with Bruccoli’s role specified:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby : The Authorized Text . Notes by Matthew J. Bruccoli, Simon and Schuster, 1995.

WorldCat.org does not include a warning to double-check its citations, but as with all citation generators you should approach its citations as starting points and not as final products.

Example 2: University of Michigan Library

The record for the same book on the University of Michigan Library’s website shows much the same information as the record on  WorldCat.org . But when you click the button with the quotation mark that says “Citation,” you get a much different citation:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott.  The Great Gatsby . 1st Scribner Paperback Fiction ed., Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995.

This citation is listed simply as “MLA citation” and does not specify which edition of the handbook is used. It is fairly close to the ninth edition format, however. The Author element is correctly formatted with a comma. The title is italicized. The Publisher and Publication Date elements are correctly formatted. The only change I would make is to remove the information about the edition. It’s usually not necessary to specify that a work is the first edition. Readers will assume it is the first edition unless otherwise noted in the entry. So the revised entry reads as follows:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott.  The Great Gatsby . Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995.

The University of Michigan does include a warning: “These citations are generated from a variety of data sources. Remember to check citation format and content for accuracy before including them in your work.” This particular citation is fairly close to the MLA’s current guidelines, but the quality of other citations generated on the website might vary.

Example 3: University of North Carolina Library

Like the entries on WorldCat.org and the University of Michigan Library’s website, the entry for the book on the University of North Carolina Library’s website includes all the basic information about the edition. When you click on the button with the quotation mark that reads “Cite,” you get yet another version of the citation:

Fitzgerald, F S.  The Great Gatsby . New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995. Print.

This citation is listed under “MLA,” but it clearly is based on the seventh edition of the handbook. The place of publication and the word “Print” at the end are the giveaways. The MLA eliminated those two requirements in the eighth edition. The citation is mostly correct for the seventh edition, except for the Author element, which has omitted Fitzgerald’s middle name and the period after the “F.” To update to the ninth edition, correct the Author element and remove the place and medium of publication:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby . Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995.

The University of North Carolina includes this warning: “These citations are automatically generated and may not always be correct. Double-check your citations to make sure they match an official citation manual or guide.” In this case, it is helpful to know that citation generators will not always specify which version of a citation guide they are using to generate citations. Citation formatting in style guides like the MLA Handbook does sometimes change with new editions, so be sure you are consulting the latest version or the version specified by your instructor or publisher.

Interactive Practice Template

While the MLA does not offer its own citation generator, it does offer an interactive practice template where users can produce their own works-cited-list entries. Users enter the details of their source in the various element slots, and the site generates the entry bit by bit on the top right. This helps students and other writers practice producing their own entries by looking at the details of the sources they’re citing. Online citation generators can be a useful place to start the citation process, but they should always be supplemented by official citation guides like the  MLA Handbook and resources like the MLA’s interactive practice template.

Laurie Press 08 November 2023 AT 11:11 PM

How would a student cite a page from the Occupational Outlook Handbook produced by the Dept. of Labor? Here's a link as an example: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/high-school-teachers.htm. I am seeing WC entries that start with the page title and others that start with the Agency, so I am confused.

Your e-mail address will not be published

Jennifer 29 November 2023 AT 11:11 AM

What about the original published year? Shouldn't that be included in the citation for this book? Originally published: April 10, 1925

Malcolm Collier 29 November 2023 AT 01:11 PM

The problematic use of the 'z' instead of the English 's' still detracts from the correct citation. Your comments please ?

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The Great Gatsby MLA Citation With Examples and Explanations

• Icon Calendar 17 May 2024
• Icon Page 1060 words
• Icon Clock 5 min read

Many students get assignments to write essays papers, personal reflections, or reviews on specific books to learn how to organize their thoughts based on the readings. In most cases, tutors assign many papers on the book “The Great Gatsby” due to controversial themes discussed in this work by F. Scott Fitzgerald and force students to follow the rules of MLA citation. Hence, people need to learn how to create the Great Gatsby MLA citation to write good papers. Basically, students need to mention the name of the author and the page number where the paraphrased information was taken. Hence, this article serves to help students to organize their papers with the proper MLA citation for the Great Gatsby book with themes and characters’ aspirations.

Reading the Book “The Great Gatsby”

The book “The Great Gatsby” demonstrates individual struggles to achieve their dreams. By following the Great Gatsby MLA citation, Wolfsheim confesses how he aided Jay Gatsby to gather riches after he participated in World War I and explains why he would not attend the funnel (Fitzgerald 182 ). Basically, Wolfsheim’s confession illustrates that Jay does not accumulate his riches while serving the nation as a soldier, as he had earlier claimed. Moreover, Nick’s determination in education and Jordan’s attempt to be considered the best in sports illustrates their aspirations to succeed. Therefore, it is essential to read the book because this work shows how individuals strive to achieve their ambitions.

MLA Citation for the Great Gatsby Book

When citing the book, writers should consider using the MLA citation format due to the availability of editions. In the Work Cited page, one should consider writing the author’s name, book’s title in italics, publisher, and publication year. If there is a link, students need to provide a link to the book for readers to easily access the text in that order. In turn, since the book is published after 1900, there is no need to use the citation of the publication by considering the Great Gatsby MLA 9 Citation. Therefore, one must use the appropriate MLA format on the Work Cited page.

Basic MLA Book Citation Format for The Great Gatsby on the Works Cited Page:

Formula: Surname, Name. Book’s Title . Publisher, Publication Year.

Example: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. T he Great Gatsby . Charles Scribner, 2004.

Example of the Work Cited entry with the link: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby . 1925, www.planetebook.com/free-ebooks/the-great-gatsby.pdf. Accessed 8 June 2020.

MLA In-Text Citation for the Great Gatsby

Considering that the book is divided into pages, individuals should include the surname of the author and the page number in the in-text citation for readers to find the cited information in the original source. In this case, to avoid plagiarism, individuals provide in-text citations, covering the rules for the Great Gatsby MLA citation. Therefore, one must provide in-text citations with page numbers appropriately to avoid plagiarism.

In MLA 9, direct quotes must be in parentheses:

For example, “my family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this middle-western city for three generations” (Fitzgerald 4).

In MLA 9, paraphrased evidence must not match directly and must be cited without parentheses:

For example, his family was wealthy for three generations in the middle-western part of the city (Fitzgerald 4).

Major Themes in The Great Gatsby and Examples of MLA Citation

The theme of society and social class.

In the book, the dominant issue involves the different kinds of society and the impact of social class. Between East and West Egg, there is a valley of ashes, where George resides and can be easily described with rising smoke (Fitzgerald 26). In this case, the valley illustrates the differences experienced in societies, such as variations in activities and structures. It is because of disparities in social class. Thus, the description of life in West Egg, East Egg, and that of Valley of Ashes helps the audience in understanding society and influences of social class.

The Theme of Love

The idea of love is prevalent in the book. Fitzgerald uses Jay as the primary protagonist, who is later killed due to involvement in a love triangle with Daisy. For example, Jay explained to Nick that Daisy was the first upper-class girl she dated, but she was married to Tom Buchanan (Fitzgerald 158). Basically, Jay’s story illustrates that he struggles to acquire wealth, to an extent using wicked ways, to win Daisy back, although she is the one who contributes to his death. Therefore, the author develops the theme of love by narrating how Jay made an effort to acquire riches to please Daisy.

The Theme of Money

Fitzgerald develops the issue of money by illustrating the powers and luxury that accompany wealthy individuals. By considering the MLA citation for the Great Gatsby reading, Nick narrates how Jay held parties every weekend, inviting many men and women in an attempt to please Daisy (Fitzgerald 43). In turn, Jay was denied an opportunity to marry Daisy. Basically, he would not meet her needs, and this aspect motivated him to use all means to build up riches. Hence, money was considered a powerful tool since it influenced Daisy to marry Tom, although she did not love him.

Characters’ Aspirations In Achieving Ambitions

Jay Gatsby:

• served in the military in an attempt to make more money;
• involved in unethical business activities to accumulate wealth;
• held parties at his mansion every weekend to please Daisy in an attempt to win her back.

Nick Carraway:

• was a graduate of Yala University;
• wanted to become a bond trader after graduation.

Jordan Baker:

• tried to cheat in a competition to be awarded as a winner as a professional golfer.

Summing Up on The Great Gatsby MLA Citation

The reading “The Great Gatsby” illustrates how ambitions influence individuals to work hard. To organize good papers, students need to create proper MLA entries for the book on the Works Cited page. Also, they must provide MLA in-text citations with the surname of the author and page numbers appropriately. It is important to avoid plagiarism by following the rules of the Great Gatsby MLA citation. In turn, Fitzgerald develops the theme of love, money, society, and social class in his book by considering the characters’ aspirations in achieving ambitions.

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How to Cite Classic Literature in MLA

4-minute read

• 17th July 2023

If you’re writing an essay or a research paper and need to cite classic literature in MLA format, then you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’ll show you how to cite the timeless and popular classics Of Mice and Men , Catcher in the Rye , The Great Gatsby , Fahrenheit 451 , Animal Farm , A Raisin in the Sun , “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Frankenstein , and The Canterbury Tales , both in the text and on a Works Cited page .

So if you’re using these works (or any classic literature) as source material, keep reading to learn how to properly cite them in MLA format. Remember to check out our MLA Referencing Guide for more information.

Citing Classic Literature in MLA Format

To cite classic literature in MLA format on the Works Cited page, include the following basic information :

●  The author’s last name

●  The author’s first name

●  The title of the work

●  The container volume if applicable

●  The volume or edition number if applicable

●  The year of publication

●  The publication information

●  The page range

Here’s what the entry will look like for a book :

Author Last Name, Author First Name. Book Title . Publisher, Year of Publication.

To cite a direct quotation, create an in-text citation that includes the author’s last name and the page number. Here’s an example of an MLA citation from the The Catcher in the Rye :

When citing classic literature, keep in mind that the publication details (publisher and year) may vary depending on the specific edition of the book you’re using. Always verify the information using the book’s title page or the copyright page to ensure accuracy in your citation .

Next, let’s take a look at how to cite the original publications of nine prominent classic works.

Of Mice and Men

On a Works Cited page, use the following format to cite Of Mice and Men , a book by John Steinbeck:

And a parenthetical citation would look like this:

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The Catcher in the Rye

You would use the following format to cite J.D. Salinger’s book The Catcher in the Rye on a Works Cited page:

A parenthetical citation would look like this:

The Great Gatsby

Use the following format to cite F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby on a Works Cited page:

The parenthetical citation would appear as follows:

Fahrenheit 451

The following format is used on a Works Cited page to cite the book Fahrenheit 451 , by Ray Bradbury:

Here’s what a parenthetical citation looks like:

Animal Farm

On a Works Cited page, use the following format to cite George Orwell’s book Animal Farm :

Here’s a parenthetical citation:

A Raisin in the Sun

Use the following format to cite Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun on a Works Cited page:

A parenthetical citation follows:

“The Yellow Wallpaper”

On a Works Cited page, use the following format to cite the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, originally published in The New England Magazine :

And the parenthetical citation would look like this:

Frankenstein

Use the following format to cite Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein (full title Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus ) on a Works Cited page:

The Canterbury Tales

On a Works Cited page, use the following basic format to cite a tale from the collection The Canterbury Tales , by Geoffrey Chaucer:

A parenthetical citation, using a direct quote from “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” would look like this:

 Expert Proofreading Services

If you’re writing a research paper or an essay, ensure that your sources are cited correctly by having our expert editors proofread your references. Our team has experience editing a variety of academic works in a wide range of subjects. Send us your sample of 500 words or less and get started today for free!

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Citation guides

All you need to know about citations

How to cite “The Great Gatsby” (movie)

Apa citation.

Formatted according to the APA Publication Manual 7 th edition. Simply copy it to the References page as is.

If you need more information on APA citations check out our APA citation guide or start citing with the BibguruAPA citation generator .

Luhrmann, B. (2013). The Great Gatsby . Warner Bros.

Chicago style citation

Formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style 17 th edition. Simply copy it to the References page as is.

If you need more information on Chicago style citations check out our Chicago style citation guide or start citing with the BibGuru Chicago style citation generator .

Luhrmann, Baz. 2013. The Great Gatsby . United States: Warner Bros.

MLA citation

Formatted according to the MLA handbook 9 th edition. Simply copy it to the Works Cited page as is.

If you need more information on MLA citations check out our MLA citation guide or start citing with the BibGuru MLA citation generator .

Luhrmann, Baz. The Great Gatsby . Warner Bros., 2013.

Other citation styles (Harvard, Turabian, Vancouver, ...)

BibGuru offers more than 8,000 citation styles including popular styles such as AMA, ASA, APSA, CSE, IEEE, Harvard, Turabian, and Vancouver, as well as journal and university specific styles. Give it a try now: Cite The Great Gatsby now!

Movie details

ENGLISH - 10H/AP (The Great Gatsby): Citation Resources

• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Roaring 20's
• Harlem Renaissance
• Prohibition/Bootlegging/Speakeasies
• Depression Factors
• Citation Resources

What is MLA 8?

MLA style was created by the Modern Language Association of America. It is a set of rules for publications, including research papers. Our school uses the 8th version of rules. 

There are two parts to MLA: I n-text citations and the Works Cited list.

In MLA, you must "cite" sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:

• In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation.
• In the Works Cited list at the end of your paper where you give more complete information for the source.

The Nine Elements of a Citation

MLA Practice Template

• Annotated_MLA_template (1) Use this template to help you create citations for ANY source you encounter. This template is based off the template in the MLA handbook and was annotated by Randall Library, UNCW.

Works CIted Page Format

Citation Examples by Type

If the source is from the internet or the Web, use all that is available from the following list:

Author’s name; title of work in quotations;  title of the web site, underlined; date of publication or update; sponsor of site ; date you accessed the site; the URL

Works Cited Page:

"Title of Page." NameofWebSite.com . Day Month Year last updated . Day Month Year accessed online

........... < http://www.actualURL >.

In-text citation:  (title)

General Format - 

Author last name, first name. Book Title. Publisher’s name, year.

Smith, Jeff .  The Making of WWII. MacMullan Press, 1995.

In-text:  (smith pg#)

1. Article in Online Magazine - 

Example: 

"Business Coalition for Climate Action Doubles." Environmental Defense. . 8 May 2007. Environmental Defense Organization. 24 May 2007 < http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?ContentID=5828 >.

In-text:   (author, pg#)

2. Article from Online Newspaper -

Clinton, Bill. Interview. New York Times on the Web . May 2007. 25 May 2007 < http://video.on.nytimes.com/ >.

Unknown Author, Page on a Web site - 

Global Warming . 2007. Cooler Heads Coalition. 24 May 2007 < http://www.globalwarming.org/ >.

In-text:   (title, pg#)

“name of video”, Youtube,uploaded by (user or username), day month year uploaded, URL.

Example - 

“The Joys of Cooking” , Hungry?, Sousie Johnson, 15 January 2002, https://www.youtube.com/ NJgt349754TV.

(The Joys of Cooking, 2002)

What is a Container?

Containers are the item that holds a source.  Container titles should be placed in italics directly following the title of the source. Since many sources can be cited on their own not every source will have a container. On the contrary, there are instances when a source has multiple containers.  In this instance, the additional container(s) information is placed at the end of the citation. 

Some single examples with the container in red are:

Articles are in journals      songs are on albums        posts are on blogs     chapters are in books 

Some two or more container examples are:

An article, in a journal, found on a database    an episode, in a TV series, on an entertainment site      a song, on an album, from a music streaming source

MLA 8 Video

• << Previous: Depression Factors
• Last Updated: Jan 26, 2024 1:27 PM
• URL: https://steds.libguides.com/c.php?g=1195017

Grade 10 English - The Great Gatsby: MLA Resources

• The Jazz Age
• Gatsby - The Book
• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The American Dream
• Research Skills
• Evaluating Sources
• NoodleTools
• NoodleTools Video Tutorials
• In-text Citations
• Plagiarism VS. Documentation
• Finding and Citing Images

Keeping Track

Doing research presents a real organizational challenge:

1.  You have to keep track of all the sources from which you have borrowed ideas, facts, opinions, or quotations, and...

2.  You have to create  a formal list , called a "Works Cited" page, of all of the sources you used in your paper for your reader.

IF YOU KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING AS YOU USE IT, IT WILL SAVE YOU LOADS OF TIME LATER!

Tips for keeping track of sources:

1.  Add links and titles to a Googledoc

2.  Use bookmarklets like Diigo or iCyte  (linked to NoodleTools) to keep track of websites

3.  Keep a running list of sources in a folder in Ebscohost or Destiny (sign in)

4.  Make citations as you go using NoodleTools

5.  All of the above

Do's & Don'ts

-keep track of your sources as you go along

-use NoodleTools to create citations and SAVE YOUR WORK!

-use MLA consistently (make all your citations looks the same)

-export a Bibliography to Googledocs (let NoodleTools do the formatting for you!)

-list a URL as a citation. URLs change all the time. Your reader might not be able to find it.

-create citations on your own. There is too much room for error.

-copy and paste citations one-at-a-time. You will lose consistency!

Why make citations?

Why Citations are Important from RefME on Vimeo .

Why and How

We cite sources for several reasons:

-to impress our teachers by showing the awesome research we've done

-to prove that we haven't just made stuff up (like facts or statistics)

-to prove our opinions or ideas are awesome (who will disagree with you if your information is published by NASA?)

-to give credit to the authors you may have borrowed ideas or words from

-to PROTECT yourself!

-to help readers who want to know more find your sources

It's also just what people in schools and universities do to show they are using information ethically . When you get your driver's license, you will follow the rules, right? You will agree not to run a red light. Well, when you are a student, this is just what you do. It's part of the rules. 

Quick Reference

• Purdue OWL Excellent MLA guides!
• EasyBib MLA Guide Simple, easy-to-use guides for making all kinds of citations.
• Quick and Easy MLA PDF from EasyBib
• IB Guide to Effective Citing and Referencing Excellent guide that describes all the IB expectations.

BrainPop Resources

• Citing Sources

Free Plagiarism Checkers

• Paper Rater
• Plagiarism Detector
• << Previous: Evaluating Sources
• Next: NoodleTools >>
• Last Updated: Aug 13, 2023 2:15 PM
• URL: https://libguides.aisr.org/thegreatgatsby

- - The Great Gatsby: Citing Sources MLA

• Citing Sources MLA

NoodleTools!

• NoodleTools! Use NoodleTools to take online notes, cite your sources and print a Works Cited list.
• Outline - How to
• Noodletools Tutorial
• NoodleTools Help Desk! If you need help using NoodleTools see if some of these topics can help you solve your problem.
• Noodletools Outline and Note Cards Directions on adding an Outline and adding Note Cards to the Outline for Noodletools.

AI Generated Content

Citing AI Generated Content

Use NoodleTools to cite AI generated content.

NoodleTools – New Source/Website/AI Response/Output

Guideline MLA Style Guide    https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/ 

MLA format: “Text of prompt” prompt.  ChatGPT , Day Month version, OpenAI, Day

Month Year, chat.openai.com.

MLA Works Cited entry: “Explain antibiotics” prompt.  ChatGPT ,

13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 16 Feb. 2023, chat.openai.com.

MLA in-text citation: ("Explain antibiotics")

MLA Citation Handout

• MLA Format 8th 9th edition

Ctiating Sources MLA - Websites that will help you!

• What's New in the 9th edition of MLA

Destiny Library Catalog

• << Previous: Home
• Last Updated: Aug 27, 2024 11:39 AM
• URL: https://maryvale.libguides.com/c.php?g=583045

The Great Gatsby: MLA Resources

• The American Dream
• The Jazz Age
• Gatsby - The Book
• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Social Studies Databases
• Annotated Bibliography
• Evaluating Sources
• MLA Resources

Keeping Track

Doing research presents a real organizational challenge:

1.  You have to keep track of all the sources from which you have borrowed ideas, facts, opinions, or quotations, and...

2.  You have to create  a formal list , called a "Works Cited" page, of all of the sources you used in your paper for your reader.

IF YOU KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING AS YOU USE IT, IT WILL SAVE YOU LOADS OF TIME LATER!

Tips for keeping track of sources:

1.  Add links and titles to a Googledoc

2.  Use bookmarklets like Diigo or iCyte  (linked to NoodleTools) to keep track of websites

3.  Keep a running list of sources in a folder in Ebscohost or Destiny (sign in)

4.  Make citations as you go using NoodleTools

5.  All of the above

Do's & Don'ts

-keep track of your sources as you go along

-use NoodleTools to create citations and SAVE YOUR WORK!

-use MLA consistently (make all your citations looks the same)

-export a Bibliography to Googledocs (let NoodleTools do the formatting for you!)

-list a URL as a citation. URLs change all the time. Your reader might not be able to find it.

-create citations on your own. There is too much room for error.

-copy and paste citations one-at-a-time. You will lose consistency!

Why make citations?

Why and How

We cite sources for several reasons:

-to impress our teachers by showing the awesome research we've done

-to prove that we haven't just made stuff up (like facts or statistics)

-to prove our opinons or ideas are awesome (who will disagree with you if you say you read it in the New York Times?)

-to give credit to the authors you may have borrowed ideas or words from

-to PROTECT yourself!

-to help readers who want to know more find your sources

It's also just what people in schools and universities do to show they are using information ethically . When you get your driver's license, you will follow the rules, right? You will agree not to run a red light. Well, when you are a student, this is just what you do. It's part of the rules. 

Quick Reference

Mla 9 handbook plus.

• Purdue OWL Excellent MLA guides!
• EasyBib MLA Guide Simple, easy-to-use guides for making all kinds of citations.
• Quick and Easy MLA PDF from EasyBib

BrainPop Resources

• Citing Sources
• << Previous: Evaluating Sources
• Last Updated: Jan 30, 2024 11:40 AM
• URL: https://whrhs.libguides.com/GreatGatsby

• Books, Articles, & More
• Curriculum Library
• Archives & Special Collections
• Scholars Crossing
• Research Guides
• Student Support
• Faculty Support
• Interlibrary Loan

MLA Writing Guide: In-text Citations

• Formatting for Individual Papers
• Formatting for Group Papers

In-text Citations

• Article Examples
• Book/eBook Examples
• Citing the Bible

In-text citations should include the author's last name and the page number on which the information or quote is located. The citation will be in parentheses at the end of the sentence before the period. 

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (Fitzgerald 180).

If the author’s name is listed within the sentence that cites the information, the author's name does not need to be repeated again in the parenthetical citation. 

Fitzgerald ends The Great Gatsby with the poetically memorable line "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (180).

For anonymous works (works without an author), a parenthetical citation uses the title, such as in the following: ( Beowulf  ln. 54-56) Anonymous works are not terribly common.

Remember that if you cite a work in the text of your paper, that work should be included in your Works Cited page. If you do not cite a work in your paper, then it should not be included in your Works Cited page.

Citing Multiple Works by the Same Author:

List the author's name followed by the title of the work (or a shortened version of the title) in the citation. 

Two parenthetical citations from the same paper for two different books by F. Scott Fitzgerald would look like the following:

(Fitzgerald,  Great Gatsby  85) and (Fitzgerald,  Tender  15)

See the works cited page f or information on citing multiple works by the same author.

Citing a Work with Multiple Authors When citing a source with two authors, include both author's names separated by "and" for parenthetical citations.

Example: Two Authors When studying the growth of the humanities as a discipline, it is important to recognize that "...the dream of the unity of knowledge isn't an exclusively German phenomenon" (Reitter and Wellmon 24).

See the works cited page for information on citing sources by two authors.

Example: Three or More Authors

When there are three or more authors, list just the first author's last name followed by et al. While the example below is of an article, the same rule would apply to citing a book or other sources.

When considering the role of ecological theory it is important to remember "ecological theory is only as sturdy as its foundation in empirical natural history observation" (McKeon et al. 2).

See the article citation tab for information on citing an source with three or more authors.

Page Numbers Alternatives: 

Occasionally, there may be a source that does not have page numbers. In some cases these will have other numbered sections, which you will need to indicate by using abbreviations such as: 

• Paragraphs -- use par., e.g., (Smith par. 3)
• Sections -- use sec., e.g., (Smith sec. 10)
• Lines -- use ln., e.g., (Smith ln. 50)

If there are no page numbers at all and there are no other identifying numbers, use the abbreviation n. pag., e.g., (Smith n. pag.).

Lengthy Titles

When the title is too long to repeat in each citation, you can shorten it. For instance, the title  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight could be shortened to Sir Gawain . 

When shortening the title: 

• Begin the title with the same first word(s)
• Be sure the shortened title is still clear enough to indicate which citation it is referencing on the Works Cited page
• When a title begins with "A," "An," or "The" you can omit that word from the abbreviation and begin the shortened version with the second word of the title. For example, The Importance of Being Earnest could be shortened to Importance of Being .
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Annotated Bibliography

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An annotated bibliography is a list of items (articles/books) that you intend to use as sources for your research assignment. Generally, you will use scholarly or peer-reviewed sources in an annotated bibliography. Though there are several types of annotated bibliographies, summary or evaluative bibliographies are the most common. Instructors assign annotated bibliographies because they encourage students to think critically and examine sources more carefully. All annotated bibliographies, regardless of their purpose, contain certain elements: 

• List the items according to the bibliographic format rules your instructor has assigned whether it is APA/Chicago/Turabian or MLA. (For this example, each source listed will be shown below according to the 8 th edition of the MLA Handbook .)
• Include the author(s)’ credentials. Credentials usually consist of an advanced degree or a connection to a university or professional organization. Why is this author an expert on this topic?
• What is the main idea/theme/thesis of the work? Usually, the main idea of a source is found in its abstract or the first few paragraphs. Be sure to put the main idea in your own words—don’t just copy it. 
• How was this source useful to your research? In other words, what ideas/facts/statistics will you use to support your thesis? What information did you learn? Generally, the more information you gained from the source, the more vital it is to your research.

If you are creating an evaluative annotated bibliography, you will need to include two additional pieces of information about each source:

• Did the author have a particular audience or purpose for their work? Is any bias in the information evident?
• How does this source relate to the other items you have examined? What connection to your other research can be made?

Sample Summary Annotated Bibliography

Corrigan, Maureen. So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why it Endures. Little, Brown, 2014.

     Maureen Corrigan is a book critic for National Public Radio (NPR), a book reviewer for the Washington Post and a professor of literature at

               Georgetown University. So We Read On investigates the power and influence of The Great Gatsby as one of the best American novels ever

               written.  Additionally, Corrigan maintains that Gatsby makes a distinct commentary on class in the United States. She mentions that Nick Carraway,

               the narrator, comes from good breeding and is also able to observe and report on the actions/dreams of Gatsby and his hope to be accepted by

               Daisy and her crowd. Corrigan cites several examples of imagery and language that point to Fitzgerald’s commentary on social class throughout

               the novel.  Corrigan provides insight into several ways that The Great Gatsby can be interpreted.

Donaldson, Scott.  “The Trouble with Nick: Reading Gatsby Closely.” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby , edited by Harold Bloom, Infobase,

               2010, pp. 157-165.

               Scott Donaldson is Professor Emeritus at the College of Winston and Mary. He has written several books on F. Scott Fitzgerald and his

               works. Additionally, Donaldson edited Critical Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Donaldson notes that at numerous times

                throughout the novel, Nick Carraway is a skeptical narrator.  At times, Nick questions Gatsby’s search for the American Dream and the love of his

                life. Some of the behavior Nick witnesses makes him dismayed with the wealthy class and their behavior. In the end, Nick sees Gatsby as a tragic

                hero who has failed in his pursuit of happiness.  Through Nick’s voice, the reader is given insight into Gatsby’s fatal flaws as well as positive

                character traits. Donaldson’s depiction of the American Dream differs somewhat from the other sources. 

Verderame, Carla L. “The American Dream in The Great Gatsby .” Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature , Facts on File, 2020. Bloom’s Literature ,

                ezproxy.mcckc.edu .

                Carla Verderame has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and has taught various courses of American Literature at West Chester

                University for over 20 years.  Professor Verderame uses her knowledge of American literature to expand on the theme of the American Dream as it

                is illustrated in The Great Gatsby. Within the article she discusses the characters as representatives of the different classes of people found within

                 the US:  those from old money, those from new money and those in the working class. Verderame notes how the various settings in the novel also

                 represent those same economic classes throughout the novel.  She also illustrates that even though Gatsby has attained the American Dream

                 financially, he encounters limitations and tragedy as well. In other words, Professor Verderame reminds readers that success does not equate to

                 happiness and a fulfilling life. This source will be quite helpful in the discussion of The Great Gatsby’s depiction of the American Dream.

*Note:  According to the MLA rules, when you have an italicized title within the title of another text, you do not italicize the inner title.  In the examples above, The Great Gatsby is not italicized in the Corrigan or Donaldson citations due to this rule.

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Citing Literary Works - MLA 9

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MLA Template

Where was your source published, translators & illustrators.

• Short Stories

MLA citations include 9 elements, but you may not need all elements for every citation:

Let's try an example, a poem from a website:

Putting it all together:

Angelou, Maya. "Still I Rise." Poetry Foundation, 2020, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise.

The citation elements that you use will depend on the type of literary work and where it was published.  So, the citation for a poem from your textbook will look different than the citation for the same poem from a website.

Let's try some examples.  This is the same poem published three places:

Notice how each citation looks different, even though they are for the same poem.  If you follow the MLA template, you can cite any source, no matter where it was published.

Translators

Translated works can be cited with either the author or the translator first, depending on how you are using the source.  Most students will cite the author first, then cite the translator as "other contributors". 

Unknown Author with a Translator

What if the author is unknown or anonymous, but a translator's name is given?  Most students will skip the author and list the title first, followed by the translator:

Beowulf . Translated by Sarah Yildiz, Oxford, 2020.

This is because our focus as writers is on the work of literature itself, not on Sarah Yildiz's translation of it. 

Illustrators

Illustrators are treated similarly to translators.  You can list them after the author or first, depending on how you are using the illustrations.

Multiple Translators/Illustrators

If there are multiple translators/illustrators, follow these examples:

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Home / Guides / Writing Resources / Topics Guides / The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

The great gatsby: the basics.

The Great Gatsby is a tale of luxury, lust, deceit, and murder. In Long Island, NY, Nick Carraway lives next door to the mysterious Jay Gatsby—owner of a huge mansion and host of frequent and lavish parties. Although prohibition has made alcohol illegal, Gatsby always has a surplus available at his wild social gatherings. As Nick starts to spend more time with Gatsby, he begins to learn about the man’s past, strange profession, and love for Nick’s cousin, Daisy. The story that unfolds truly highlights the scandalous and risky nature of the Roaring Twenties.

To achieve a greater level of basic understanding of the novel, you may want to look at:

F. Scott Fitzgerald: His Life as Portrayed in The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. He was born in the Midwest and began writing at a relatively young age. He fell in love in his twenties, but his romantic interest would not be convinced to marry him until he achieved financial success. Only after he gained fame and fortune did she agree. He lived a life of extravagance and died quite young at the age of 44. Some critics assert that Fitzgerald included many autobiographical elements in many of his works, including The Great Gatsby .

A great deal of the adulterous and scandalous behavior described in The Great Gatsby was reflective of Fitzgerald’s personal life at the time in which he wrote the novel. Fitzgerald was living lavishly, throwing parties and indulging frequently with his wife, Zelda, who was also involved with another man. This, in addition to F. Scott’s flirtatious conduct with women, put pressure on their relationship. This type of relationship is portrayed in the novel via Tom and Daisy Buchanan, as Daisy and Gatsby become involved.

For more information on Fitzgerald’s life or how it may relate to his novel, you can read:

The Great Gatsby and Symbolism: What’s with the Green Light?

In the novel, Gatsby has a constant fixation with a green light across the water from his mansion. The light creates desire, hope, and motivation, and becomes a symbol for Gatsby’s love for Daisy. This sense of drive and yearning can be found in many of the characters in the novel, and the color green resonates in many aspects of their lives. It can be argued that this “desire to achieve” is both universal and timeless, allowing critics and readers to relate more closely to the novel and its characters.

The color green also brings to mind money and greed; perhaps the desire to achieve is fueled by the yearning and pressure from society to become rich. Money held a prominent place in society in the 1920s, as it provided the means to distinguish status and the lavish lifestyle that so many idolized. Additionally, green conjures thoughts of envy and jealousy, feelings which are on full display both in Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. Colorful symbolism in The Great Gatsby feeds itself—ambition is driven by jealousy, which is driven by money and greed.

For a closer look at the green light, check out:

Morality in The Great Gatsby

Many of the characters in The Great Gatsby live opulent, free-wheeling and sometimes wild lives. They are greedy, lustful, vengeful, and, as some critics would argue, immoral. The question of ethics runs rampant through the pages of Gatsby, and provides a commentary on American society in the 1920s. Values, particularly with regards to wealth, are skewed towards favoring wealth and status. Each character in the novel demonstrates a different set of values and seems to be in various stages of personal moral development.

Almost every character in the book lies to the other characters or lives an entire sham of a life. There is little concern for the repercussions of these lies or other immoral actions in general. In a sense, dishonesty sometimes makes characters more appealing in The Great Gatsby . Gatsby’s commitment to his false life draws in characters and readers alike.

To learn more about Gatsby’s ethics or Kohlberg’s stages of Moral Development:

The Great Gatsby: Society and Economic Disparity in the 1920s

The Roaring Twenties bring to mind flappers, parties, speakeasies, prohibition, and eventually the Great Depression. People wanted to live glamorous lives and have a chance to be a part of the upper echelons of society. Taking advantage of wealth and status seemed to be the best way to accomplish any variety of objectives. The novel’s title character exemplifies a true understanding of America’s obsession with money and the country’s economic disparity; after all, he assumed his new identity in order to rise above his former status and become accepted as a member of the exclusive upper-class. What does this say about the materialism of Gatsby’s world? What is it all really worth in the end?

Gatsby himself had to work around the law (and potentially ethics) in order to fabricate his new life in New York and have a fresh start. He incessantly tries to meet higher levels of materialistic expectations in order to impress Daisy, and eventually this need to impress others leads to his murder at his lavish home. Concern for money and objects is all-consuming and fails to bring satisfaction, happiness, or internal prosperity to the characters of the novel.

To gain more perspective on the effect of the Roaring Twenties on The Great Gatsby , read:

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• MLA titles: Formatting and capitalization rules

MLA Titles | How to Format & Capitalize Source Titles

Published on April 2, 2019 by Courtney Gahan . Revised on March 5, 2024.

In MLA style , source titles appear either in italics or in quotation marks:

• Italicize the title of a self-contained whole (e.g. a book, film, journal, or website).
• Use  quotation marks around the title if it is part of a larger work (e.g. a chapter of a book, an article in a journal, or a page on a website).

All major words in a title are capitalized . The same format is used in the Works Cited list and in the text itself.

When you use the Scribbr MLA Citation Generator , the correct formatting and capitalization are automatically applied to titles.

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Table of contents

Capitalization in mla titles, punctuation in mla titles, titles within titles, exceptions to mla title formatting, sources with no title, abbreviating titles, titles in foreign languages, frequently asked questions about mla titles.

In all titles and subtitles, capitalize the first and last words, as well as any other principal words.

What to capitalize

What not to capitalize

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Use the same punctuation as appears in the source title. However, if there is a subtitle, separate it from the main title with a colon and a space, even if different (or no) punctuation is used in the source.

Example of a work with a subtitle

The exception is when the title ends in a question mark, exclamation point or dash, in which case you keep the original punctuation:

Sometimes a title contains another title—for example, the title of an article about a novel might contain that novel’s title.

For titles within titles, in general, maintain the same formatting as you would if the title stood on its own.

Titles and names that fall into the following categories are not italicized or enclosed in quotation marks:

• Scripture (e.g. the Bible, the Koran, the Gospel)
• Laws, acts and related documents (e.g. the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution , the Paris Agreement)
• Musical compositions identified by form, number and key (e.g. Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5 in C minor, op. 67)
• Conferences, seminars, workshops and courses (e.g. MLA Annual Convention)

Sections of a work

Words that indicate a particular section of a work are not italicized or placed within quotation marks. They are also not capitalized when mentioned in the text.

Examples of such sections include:

• introduction
• list of works cited
• bibliography

Introductions, prefaces, forewords and afterwords

Descriptive terms such as “introduction”, “preface”, “foreword” and “afterword” are capitalized if mentioned in an MLA in-text citation or in the Works Cited list, but not when mentioned in the text itself.

Example of descriptive term capitalization

In-text citation: (Brontë, Preface )

In text: In her preface to the work, added in a later edition, Brontë debates the morality of creating characters such as those featured in Wuthering Heights .

If there is a unique title for the introduction, preface, foreword or afterword, include that title in quotation marks instead of the generic section name when referencing the source in the Works Cited list or an in-text citation.

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

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For sources with no title, a brief description of the source acts as the title.

Example of a source reference with no title

Follow these rules for capitalization:

• Capitalize the first word
• Capitalize proper nouns
• Ignore other MLA rules for capitalization

There are some exceptions to this general format: descriptions including titles of other works, such as comments on articles or reviews of movies; untitled short messages, like tweets; email messages; and untitled poems.

Exceptions to general format for sources with no title

If you need to mention the name of a work in the text itself, state the full title, but omit the subtitle.

If you need to refer to the work multiple times, you may shorten the title to something familiar or obvious to the reader. For example, Huckleberry Finn for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . If in doubt, prefer the noun phrase.

If the standalone abbreviation may not be clear, you can introduce it in parentheses, following the standard guidelines for abbreviations. For example, The Merchant of Venice ( MV ) . For Shakespeare and the Bible , there are well-established abbreviations you can use.

When you abbreviate a title, make sure you keep the formatting consistent. Even if the abbreviation consists only of letters, as in the MV example, it must be italicized or placed within quotation marks in the same way as it would be when written in full.

Abbreviating very long titles in the Works Cited list

Titles should normally be given in full in the Works Cited list, but if any of your sources has a particularly long title (often the case with older works), you can use an ellipsis to shorten it here. This is only necessary with extremely long titles such as the example below.

In the Works Cited list, if you are listing a work with a title in a language other than English, you can add the translated title in square brackets.

Example of a reference with a translated title

If you are using the foreign-language title in the text itself, you can also include the translation in parenthesis. For example, O Alquimista ( The Alchemist ) .

You don’t need to include a translation in your reference list or in the text if you expect your readers to be familiar with the original language. For example, you wouldn’t translate the title of a  French novel you were writing about in the context of a French degree.

Non-Latin script languages

For works in a language that does not use the Latin alphabet, such as Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, or Russian, be consistent with how you mention the source titles and also quotations from within them.

For example, if you choose to write a Russian title in the Cyrillic form, do that throughout the document. If you choose to use the Romanized form, stick with that. Do not alternate between the two.

Yes. MLA style uses title case, which means that all principal words (nouns, pronouns , verbs, adjectives , adverbs , and some conjunctions ) are capitalized.

This applies to titles of sources as well as the title of, and subheadings in, your paper. Use MLA capitalization style even when the original source title uses different capitalization .

In MLA style , book titles appear in italics, with all major words capitalized. If there is a subtitle, separate it from the main title with a colon and a space (even if no colon appears in the source). For example:

The format is the same in the Works Cited list and in the text itself. However, when you mention the book title in the text, you don’t have to include the subtitle.

The title of a part of a book—such as a chapter, or a short story or poem in a collection—is not italicized, but instead placed in quotation marks.

When a book’s chapters are written by different authors, you should cite the specific chapter you are referring to.

When all the chapters are written by the same author (or group of authors), you should usually cite the entire book, but some styles include exceptions to this.

• In APA Style , single-author books should always be cited as a whole, even if you only quote or paraphrase from one chapter.
• In MLA Style , if a single-author book is a collection of stand-alone works (e.g. short stories ), you should cite the individual work.
• In Chicago Style , you may choose to cite a single chapter of a single-author book if you feel it is more appropriate than citing the whole book.

The title of an article is not italicized in MLA style , but placed in quotation marks. This applies to articles from journals , newspapers , websites , or any other publication. Use italics for the title of the source where the article was published. For example:

Use the same formatting in the Works Cited entry and when referring to the article in the text itself.

The MLA Handbook is currently in its 9th edition , published in 2021.

This quick guide to MLA style  explains the latest guidelines for citing sources and formatting papers according to MLA.

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Gahan, C. (2024, March 05). MLA Titles | How to Format & Capitalize Source Titles. Scribbr. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/titles/

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Great Gatsby, english essay help

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Compose your essays in a document titled "Gatsby Final." You should follow MLA guidelines for formatting your document. Before submitting, proofread carefully for any grammatical or sentence structure errors. Remember, each response must be minimum 300 words or will not be considered.

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Done and uploaded.Any changes, just ask me. Gatsby Final Structure The Great Gatsby is a novel written by Scot Fitzgerald in 1925. The action follows the lives of the high and mighty from the Eggs, a small city on Long Island, which is divided into two parts, East Egg where people coming from old wealth live and West Egg where the new riches have their mansions. The narrator, Nick Carraway lives in a small and cheap rented house in the West Egg. His closest neighbor is Jay Gatsby, who owns a very opulent mansion. Daisy Buchanan, Nick´s distant cousin, and her husband, Tom Buchanan live in the East Egg. They also have a magnificent house, besides they come from old money. Tom Buchanan has a middle-class mistress who lives with her husband, the owner of a run-down garage, in the valley of ashes. The different social classes appearing in the novel are separated not only by social position but geographically too. Their lives run in different lanes that are not allowed to cross. The upper class from the East Egg, not only has wealth but old and privileged family names. The new riches from the West Egg, who only have recently acquired the money. And finally the lower class, living outside the Eggs. The society presented in the novel is fractured but then the lanes started to cross and tragedy to unfold over the characters. We discover that Daisy Buchanan is the long ago lost love of Jay Gatsby. She didn´t wait for Jay to return from the war and married Tom Buchanan who had the wealth and the prestige of an old rich family. When she is reunited with Gatsby, they start a new relationship while she despises the relationship of her husband with a lower class woman. When Gatsby asks Daisy to leave her hu...

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The Great Gatsby

By f. scott fitzgerald, the great gatsby essay questions.

Analyze Fitzgerald's conception of the American Dream. Does he view it as totally dead, or is it possible to revive it?

Is Nick a reliable narrator? How does his point of view color the reality of the novel, and what facts or occurences would he have a vested interest in obscuring?

Trace the use of the color white in the novel. When does it falsify a sense of innocence? When does it symbolize true innocence?

Do a close reading of the description of the "valley of ashes." How does Fitzgerald use religious imagery in this section of the novel?

What does the green light symbolize to Gatsby? To Nick?

How does Fitzgerald juxtapose the different regions of America? Does he write more positively about the East or the Midwest?

What is the distinction between East and West Egg? How does one bridge the gap between the two?

In what ways are Wilson and Gatsby similar? Disimilar? Who is Nick more sympathetic to?

How does Fitzgerald treat New York City? What is permissable in the urban space that is taboo on the Eggs?

Is Tom most responsible for Gatsby's death? Daisy? Myrtle? Gatsby himself? Give reasons why or why not each character is implicated in the murder.

The Great Gatsby Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Great Gatsby is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

describe daisy and gatsby's new relationship

There are two points at which Daisy and Gatsby's relationship could be considered "new". First, it seems that their "new" relationship occurs as Tom has become enlightened about their affair. It seems as if they are happy...

Describe Daisy and Gatsby new relationship?

http://www.gradesaver.com/the-great-gatsby/q-and-a/describe-daisy-and-gatsbys-new-relationship-70077/

What are some quotes in chapter 1 of the great gatsby that show the theme of violence?

I don't recall any violence in in chapter 1.

Study Guide for The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is typically considered F. Scott Fitzgerald's greatest novel. The Great Gatsby study guide contains a biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Great Gatsby
• The Great Gatsby Summary
• The Great Gatsby Video
• Character List

Essays for The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

• Foreshadowing Destiny
• The Eulogy of a Dream
• Materialism Portrayed By Cars in The Great Gatsby
• Role of Narration in The Great Gatsby
• A Great American Dream

Lesson Plan for The Great Gatsby

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Great Gatsby
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Great Gatsby Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Great Gatsby

• Introduction