Which of the underlined titles in the following sentence should be enclosed in quotation marks?
Our textbook, English Literature, includes Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet and Edgar Allen Poe’s poem The Raven.
A. English Literature
B. Romeo and Juliet
C. The Raven
According to the guidelines set by the Modern Language Association (MLA) and typical style guides for American English, titles of longer works, such as books and plays, are usually italicized, whereas titles of shorter works, such as poems, articles, short stories, and songs, are enclosed in quotation marks.
Given that information:
A. English Literature - This is the title of the textbook, which is a longer work, so it should be italicized rather than enclosed in quotation marks.
B. Romeo and Juliet - This is a play by Shakespeare, which is also considered a longer work. According to MLA style, the title of a play should be italicized, not enclosed in quotation marks.
C. The Raven - This is a poem by Edgar Allen Poe. Poems are generally considered shorter works, so the title should be enclosed in quotation marks.
Thus, in the sentence provided:
Our textbook, English Literature, includes Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet and Edgar Allen Poe’s poem The Raven.
The titles that should be enclosed in quotation marks are:
C. The Raven