The speech below is given by Gwendolen in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest (Act 1, Scene 1). Imagine you want to quote this speech in a paper, leaving out the bolded portions. How would you insert this quotation into your essay? Be sure to cite the quotation conventionally as well.
Jack? . . . No, there is very little music in the name Jack, if any at all, indeed. It does not thrill. It produces absolutely no vibrations . . . I have known several Jacks, and they all, without exception, were more than usually plain. Besides, Jack is a notorious domesticity for John! And I pity any woman who is married to a man called John. She would probably never be allowed to know the entrancing pleasure of a single moment’s solitude. The only really safe name is Ernest.
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Here is an example of how this might be appropriately quoted:
The Importance of Being Earnest, despite its title, is not actually about being honest or sincere. Instead, it is about the importance of having the name Earnest. The main character, Jack, has romanced a woman, all the while calling himself Earnest. Near the beginning of the play, he asks if she would mind if his name were Jack. She responds, “Jack? [. . .] No, there is very little music in the name Jack, if any at all, indeed. . . . Besides, Jack is a notorious domesticity for John! And I pity any woman who is married to a man called John. . . . The only really safe name is Ernest” (Wilde 1.1).
