Hermeneutics·Capstone·Lesson 5 of 5

Capstone: The Full Interpretive Argument

This capstone integrates all four skills — interpretive argument construction, the literal default, metaphorical escape detection, and literalness case-building — into a single pipeline. Students apply the full method to extended passages, defending interpretations against challenges and recognizing when to concede. The goal is fluency: the ability to argue for a reading, counter a metaphorical escape, and know when the evidence genuinely points to a non-literal meaning.