What's the rule of quoting?

spikeman4444 said:

Is it just assumed that everyone should know

Click to expand...

Pretty much. Depends (on where/when the story's set) if the speaking character thinks listeners won't know the source, or wants them to know he's educated.

-Derek

I've often seen notes at either the beginning (part of the front matter, not part of the actual novel) or end crediting authors of works quoted within the story. I'd never assume people know where things come from, but that doesn't mean the credit has to fall within the narrative.

spikeman4444 said:

ok so what is the rule on quoting/referencing other works.

Say, for instance, that a character in a novel is well-read and he/she can cite a poem from Lord Tennyson. Now, does the character have to mention that it is a Tennyson poem they are reciting? What about Shakespeare? Is it just assumed that everyone should know where "shall I compare thee to a summer's day" is from???

Click to expand...

People will know most Shakespearean quotes- or at least, they can guess it's Shakespeare. If they can't, they aren't worth bothering about. They wouldn't necessarily know a Tennyson poem but don't assume that none of your readers are well-read.

Good old Sonnet 18; Shakespeare's addressing it to a boy, although most don't pick up on it: 'and often is his gold complexion dimmed' You wouldn't compare a woman to a male sun.

I enjoy a note at the beginning or the end that tells you where the quotes come from. I just read a Louise Penny book (The Brutal Telling) that had some poems, with credit in the front. One of the poems enlightened me about a phrase in a Dorothy L. Sayers book I'd read long ago!