Ancient & Classical:
* Aristotle (384-322 BCE): Father of literary criticism. His "Poetics" laid the groundwork for many future theories, including the concepts of tragedy, comedy, catharsis, and the unities of time, place, and action.
* Horace (65-8 BCE): Roman poet who wrote "Ars Poetica," providing guidance on writing styles, avoiding clichés, and understanding the audience.
* Longinus (3rd century CE): Author of "On the Sublime," which analyzed what makes writing great, focusing on elements like elevation, grandeur, and the power of imagery.
Medieval & Renaissance:
* Dante Alighieri (1265-1321): Italian poet whose "Divine Comedy" embodies allegorical and symbolic interpretation of literature.
* Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400): English poet known for his "Canterbury Tales," showcasing a diverse array of characters and storytelling styles.
* Erasmus (1466-1536): Renaissance humanist who emphasized textual analysis and interpretation, laying the groundwork for modern textual criticism.
Enlightenment & Romanticism:
* Alexander Pope (1688-1744): English poet known for his satires and critical essays, advocating for clarity, order, and reason in literature.
* Samuel Johnson (1709-1784): English writer whose "Lives of the Poets" combined biographical and critical analysis, shaping literary history.
* Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832): German poet, playwright, and critic who emphasized the importance of intuition and personal experience in interpreting literature.
19th & 20th Century:
* Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900): German philosopher whose ideas about the "death of God" and the will to power influenced literary criticism's focus on authorial intent and the psychological aspects of text.
* Karl Marx (1818-1883): German philosopher and economist who developed Marxist criticism, focusing on the role of economic and social forces in shaping literature.
* Sigmund Freud (1856-1939): Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis, whose ideas about the unconscious mind influenced the development of psychoanalytic criticism.
* T.S. Eliot (1888-1965): English poet and critic who introduced the concept of "tradition" and the importance of literary history in understanding contemporary works.
* I.A. Richards (1893-1979): English literary critic who emphasized the importance of close reading and the reader's response to a text.
* Jacques Derrida (1930-2004): French philosopher who developed deconstruction, a method of critical analysis that challenges traditional interpretations of text.
Contemporary:
* Judith Butler (1956-present): American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has been influential in feminist and queer literary criticism.
* Edward Said (1935-2003): Palestinian-American literary critic whose work focused on the influence of colonialism and Orientalism on literature.
* Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (1942-present): Indian literary critic whose work addresses postcolonialism, feminism, and the politics of representation.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. The history of literary criticism is vast and diverse, and there are many other important figures who have contributed to its development.
To further explore this topic, consider researching:
* Different schools of literary criticism: Formalism, New Criticism, Marxism, Feminism, Postmodernism, etc.
* Specific periods in literary history: The Renaissance, the Enlightenment, Romanticism, Modernism, Postmodernism.
* Individual literary critics: Many scholars have made significant contributions to literary criticism beyond those listed above.
* The history of literary journals and academic institutions: These have played a vital role in shaping the discourse of literary criticism.
Remember that literary criticism is an ongoing conversation. As new literary works emerge and social and cultural landscapes shift, so too will the way we understand and interpret them.