The Fruits of the MLA

work by Wilson

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June 29, 2026

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The Fruits of the MLA is a 1968 work by American critic and essayist Edmund Wilson. In this piece, Wilson critiques the Modern Language Association's (MLA) editions of American authors, arguing that their scholarly approach often buries the subjects in pedantry.1

Wilson was a prominent literary journalist known for his expansive approach to criticism, which placed texts within broader biographical, political, social, linguistic, and philosophical contexts. His work, characterized by clarity and precision, aimed to provide a fuller understanding of literature for the public.21

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Edmund Wilson
…the Income Tax (1963), and The Fruits of the MLA (1968), a lengthy attack on the Modern Language Association’s editions of American authors, which he felt buried their subjects in pedantry. His plays are in part collected in Five Plays (1954) and in The Duke of Palermo and Other Plays…
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…the Income Tax (1963), and The Fruits of the MLA (1968), a lengthy attack on the Modern Language Association’s editions of American authors, which he felt buried their subjects in pedantry. His plays are in part collected in Five Plays (1954) and in The Duke of Palermo and Other Plays…
Read More