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pmla-argument-development

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Use when building the argument of a PMLA (Publications of the Modern Language Association) essay into a significant contribution to literary and language studies. PMLA rewards a clear, consequential claim whose implications are drawn out — not a description or a reading without stakes. Structures the argument; it does not perform the close reading or invent evidence.

When to use

• building the argument of a PMLA essay
• stating the claim, warrant, and stakes explicitly
• turning interpretation into argument
• addressing a significant problem
• drawing out implications clearly
• creating a governing argument for multiple observations

When not to use

• performing close reading
• inventing evidence
• description without stakes
• reading without a thesis

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