how to use quotes for eng lit

nathbir17

should i use lots briefly or a few and really analyse them a lot

Reply 1

Mar1g0ld

Original post

by nathbir17

should i use lots briefly or a few and really analyse them a lot

Hi, I'm currently a final year English Lit/History student. I'd say it depends on the assignment, but always go for quality over quantity. It is better to go for a select few carefully chosen quotes that will contribute well to your overall argument. Instead of quoting a few words, it is usually better to provide a sentence or two of the whole quote so that the marker can see the context in which the quote is written. That way you can not only perform a close analysis of 'word choice', but also sentence structure, tone, rhyming etc. Your points should always be drawn from the primary evidence (your quotes), and then bringing in secondary sources that supports your argument. At the end of the day in an English Lit essay, it is your analysis the markers are looking at so the more detail and in-depth the analysis, the better! (It's easier to perform a detailed analysis with a few longer quotes rather than lots of short ones that don't all contribute as effectively to your argument.)

Hope this helps!