Classic Texts: Literature, Myth, Quotation, Bible, Poem
Tips for These Sources
Book of Quotations
Shakespeare
- For all of these sources, you may need to search for a different form of your word or a synonym to find the best information. Sometimes, searching with the antonym yields fascinating results.
- Your word does not necessarily have to appear in the myth, scene from Shakespeare, etc. which you choose, as long as the source illustrates something interesting about your word.
- Context, context, context! Think ahead to what you will write in your paper. You don’t want to “float” a quote! With sources like your spiritual text and Shakespeare, get the context so that you have a fuller understanding of the word’s use in the scene, chapter, or story the quote comes from. Who is speaking to whom under what circumstances? Use the Paraphrase Box on your notecards to write up the context clearly.
- Be sure to select a high-quality poem from an established poet--not just any Average Joe who keeps a home page.
- You may NOT use poems from user-submitted poetry sites like Hello Poetry and Poem Hunter.
Book of Quotations
- Make a note of who said your quote, and research, if necessary, who that person was. Put this information on your note card.
- Ex: Aristotle, Greek philosopher
- Ex: Lance Armstrong, six-time Tour de France winner
- Ex: George Bernard Shaw, writer
- The author of your quotation is not usually the author of the source. For example, the reference book Familiar Quotations is compiled by John Bartlett, NOT Aristotle or Lance Armstrong. Therefore, your NoodleTools entry should be listed under the author/compiler of the book/website - not the author of the quote.
Shakespeare
- If you are using OpensourceShakespeare.com, to find the book they used to create the website, you'll need to go to the bottom of the page, choose "About the Sources on OSS", choose the "Bibliography" link from the sidebar, and find the listings under Shakespeare. Choose an "unabridged" book of Shakespeare's works, as this includes everything.