Punctuation Question...

Edward Teach

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I am writing a story that begins with an author's disclaimer, in italics, that contains some titles that would normally be enclosed in quotation marks.

Since the disclaimer is part of the story and the story will contain dialogue using quotation marks, should the titles inside the italics be enclosed in quotation marks?

Following is the disclaimer as I have it now:

The following is an edited transcript of a recording that recently came into my possession, anonymously. The note accompanying it said that it was found in a rail yard near the container docks in Wilmington, NC and requested that I make it public to insure the safety of unidentified innocents. I elected to do as asked. Small edits were made to make it more readable. Virtuoso Interactive, Inc., Brian Varner, Goon Squad, and South Central OG are names I created to conceal the original entities, otherwise the tape is transcribed verbatim. I cannot attest to the veracity of its content—I am merely the scribe. Awful Arthur

The titles in question are: Virtuoso Interactive, Inc., Brian Varner, Goon Squad, and South Central OG.
 
There's little reason to put those names (they are names--as you yourself call them, not titles) in quotation marks at all. But if something that is a title that should be put in double quote marks (e.g., song titles) is run in a italicized passage, you just go ahead and put it in quote marks.

I said "little reason," because there is allowance to put something this in quotation marks, as in: The name "Mergatroid" sends chills ups my back. Running names together as you have them, though, is a good reason not to mess up the text with a lot of quote marks.

If it's a book title, which normally would be in italics, you revert it to roman font when it appears in an italicized passage.
 
There's little reason to put those names (they are names--as you yourself call them, not titles) in quotation marks at all. But if something that is a title that should be put in double quote marks (e.g., song titles) is run in a italicized passage, you just go ahead and put it in quote marks.

I said "little reason," because there is allowance to put something this in quotation marks, as in: The name "Mergatroid" sends chills ups my back. Running names together as you have them, though, is a good reason not to mess up the text with a lot of quote marks.

If it's a book title, which normally would be in italics, you revert it to roman font when it appears in an italicized passage.
I didn't know this one! :rose:
 
There's little reason to put those names (they are names--as you yourself call them, not titles) in quotation marks at all. But if something that is a title that should be put in double quote marks (e.g., song titles) is run in a italicized passage, you just go ahead and put it in quote marks.

I said "little reason," because there is allowance to put something this in quotation marks, as in: The name "Mergatroid" sends chills ups my back. Running names together as you have them, though, is a good reason not to mess up the text with a lot of quote marks.

If it's a book title, which normally would be in italics, you revert it to roman font when it appears in an italicized passage.


Thanks, SR. You're right, all those quote marks strung together don't look good. It's good to know I can eliminate them.
 
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