Individual skill
pmla-theory-and-method
Use when choosing and deploying a theoretical or methodological frame in a PMLA (Publications of the Modern Language Association) essay. PMLA welcomes all theoretical perspectives but expects theory to illuminate texts, not to substitute for reading. Also the home for Theories and Methodologies and The Changing Profession features. Frames the method; it does not perform the close reading.
PMLA-Skills/skills/pmla-theory-and-method/SKILL.md
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# Theory & Method (pmla-theory-and-method)
PMLA is open to **all scholarly methods and theoretical perspectives** — but theory at PMLA must
**earn its keep by illuminating texts**, not by being applied as a template. This skill helps you pick
a frame, deploy it precisely, and keep the reading (not the theory) in the foreground. It is also the
home base for the **Theories and Methodologies** and **The Changing Profession** special features.
## When to trigger
- Choosing a critical/theoretical framework and justifying it
- A reader said the essay is "theory applied mechanically" or "under-theorized"
- Writing a **Theories and Methodologies** or **The Changing Profession** piece
- Deciding how much theoretical apparatus the argument actually needs
