If a source contains more than one work with an introduction to each labeled "Introduction," how should I refer to the introductions in my writing and in my works-cited list?

If a source contains more than one work with an introduction to each labeled “Introduction,” how should I refer to the introductions in my writing and in my works-cited list?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.

If you need to differentiate among several introductions in a source because each is labeled “Introduction,” you can either make clear in your writing which introduction you are referring to or use a description in a parenthetical citation:

In his introduction to Antigone, Bernard Knox remarks that to Victorian readers, “the subject matter of the play seemed academic” (35).

Bernard Knox remarks that to Victorian readers, “the subject matter of the play seemed academic” (Introduction to Antigone 35).

In the works-cited list, use a description (Introduction to Antigone) in place of the actual label that appears in the work (Introduction):

Works Cited

Knox, Bernard. Introduction to Antigone. The Three Theban Plays, by Sophocles, translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Books, 2000, pp. 33-54.

—. Introduction to Oedipus at Colonus. The Three Theban Plays, by Sophocles, translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Books, 2000, pp. 253-78.