When including a book title in the body text of an essay written in MLA (Modern Language Association) format, there are specific style guidelines to follow in order to properly cite the source. The basic information needed includes the author’s name, book title, publisher location, publisher name, and year of publication.
Capitalization matters when writing out a book title in MLA format. Only capitalize the first word of the title and any proper nouns. Italicize the entire book title, including punctuation, to distinguish it from the regular text. Place the book title in quotation marks if it is part of a larger work, such as an article in a collection.
Here are some examples of how to write a book title within the text of an MLA formatted essay:
In his book, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald examines…
As discussed in E.L Doctorow’s book, Ragtime, America was…
One theme explored in “Daisy Miller: A Study,” a short story by Henry James, is…
Maxine Hong Kingston’s memoir The Woman Warrior analyzes…
When first introducing the book, include the author’s name and italicize the full title. On subsequent mentions, a shortened version may be used, such as Kingston’s The Woman Warrior or Doctorow’s Ragtime.
The first time the book title is mentioned, follow it with publication information in parentheses using the following format: author’s last name, first name. Book Title. Publisher City: Publisher Name, Year Published.
Some examples:
Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye (New York: Knopf, 1970) explores…
As argued by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice (London: T. Egerton, 1813), marriage…
Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 (New York: Ballantine Books, 1953) warns…
Shortened versions may omit the publisher city and name for clarity on later references.
Morrison’s The Bluest Eye explores…
In Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, marriage…
Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 warns…
If pages numbers are referenced, follow the book title with a comma then page number(s):
As Elaine Showalter claims in Sexual Anarchy: Gender and Culture at the Fin de Siècle (New York: Viking, 1990), 23, Victorian society…
Virginia Woolf discusses similar ideas of female subjectivity in A Room of One’s Own (London: Hogarth Press, 1929), 55-60.
When including a direct quote from a book in MLA format, introduce the quote with a signal phrase including the author’s name then follow with the page number in parentheses:
As John Steinbeck wrote in Of Mice and Men (New York: Covici Friede, 1937), 37, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.”
T.S. Eliot states that “the world is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality” (47).
For titles of short works like articles, chapters, essays, poems, and short stories, place the title in “quotation marks.” Italicize the title of a longer work it belongs to, such as a collection of poems or stories.
Following MLA style guidelines carefully when citing book titles within the body text of an essay ensures the source is properly attributed. Consistency in formatting helps create a cohesive flow of ideas and demonstrates mastery of scholarly writing skills. Adhering to an established citation style gives credibility and organization to academic work.