Integrating Quotations

Technique 1a Use a signal phrase like he says, or she says followed by a comma to integrate a quotation and agree with an opinion from the following sentence written by Dave Larsen: Purists will be in an uproar over the gunplay - such as Juliet putting a Walther P5 pistol to her head - but the film's intended Gen-X audience will find a timeless love story daringly adapted to their era.

Technique 1a While Romeo + Juliet may not appeal to older audiences, it was never supposed to; as Larsen says, “the film's intended Gen-X audience will find a timeless love story daringly adapted to their era”(1).

Technique 1b Agree with an opinion from the following paragraph, integrating your quotation with a colon. The story itself is William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, a 400-year-old romantic tragedy audaciously reinterpreted by Australian director Baz Luhrmann, who made a lively debut with 1992's Strictly Ballroom. His unorthodox follow-up is strictly over- the-top.

Technique 1b The movie is an exciting mix of shoot outs and car chases, with wild costumes and swooping aerial shots. Larsen sums it up perfectly: “strictly over the top”(1).

Technique 1c Rewrite these sentences, integrating the quotation as an extension of your own words: The movie is an exciting mix of shoot outs and car chases, with wild costumes and swooping aerial shots. Larsen sums it up perfectly: “strictly over the top”(1).

Technique 1c The movie is an exciting mix of shoot outs and car chases, with wild costumes and swooping aerial shots. As Shakespeare performances go, it is “strictly over the top”(Larsen 1).

Technique 2a Disagree with an opinion from the following sentence using a comma to integrate an initial quotation. DiCaprio and Danes have different energies - hyper intensity vs. calm serenity - yet they share a spellbinding chemistry that captures the volcanic rush of first love.

“[T]hey share a spellbinding

Technique 2a “DiCaprio and Danes... share a spellbinding chemistry that captures the volcanic rush of first love”(1), says Larsen, but to my mind they share nothing more than pretty cheekbones and an obsession with water.

Technique 2b Use a colon to integrate a quotation disagreeing with an opinion from the following sentence: As with most film adaptations, Luhrmann trims Shakespeare's text, putting a visual emphasis on the dramatic elements.

Technique 2b “As with most film adaptations, Luhrmann trims Shakespeare's text” Larsen observes: “butchers” might be a better way to describe the approach of the Australian director.

Technique 2c Integrate an initial quotation from the following sentence using your own words. As with most film adaptations, Luhrmann trims Shakespeare's text, putting a visual emphasis on the dramatic elements.

Technique 2c “Luhrmann trims Shakespeare's text, putting a visual emphasis on the dramatic elements” such as setting (Larsen 1); when Balthazar falsely reports Juliet’s death to Romeo, for example, roughly half the lines are cut, but the visual symbolism of the red-lit sky is striking.