List of literary critics

The following list of literary critics includes literary critics who have written in the English language, irrespective of country or time period. When known, the critic's birth and death dates and country are given.

A

 * 1) Lascelles Abercrombie (1881-1938), England
 * 2) Arthur Henry Adams (1872-1936), Australia / New Zealand
 * 3) James Arbuckle (1700-1742?), Ireland
 * 4) Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), England
 * 5) Thomas Arnold (1823-1900), England
 * 6) Dorothy Auchterlonie (1915-1991), Australia
 * 7) W.H. Auden (1907-1973), England / United States

B

 * 1) Paul Batchelor (born 1977), England
 * 2) James Bannister (?1750-1816 fl.), England
 * 3) Edward Baugh (born 1936), Jamaica
 * 4) Joseph Warren Beach (1880-1957), United States
 * 5) Patricia Beer (1919-1999), England
 * 6) Ambrose Bierce (1842-1913), United States
 * 7) John Peale Bishop (1892-1944), United States
 * 8) R.P. Blackmur (1904-1965), United States
 * 9) E.D. Blodgett (born 1935), Canada
 * 10) Harold Bloom (born 1930), United States
 * 11) John Le Gay Brereton (1871-1933), Australia
 * 12) John Malcolm Brinnin (1916-1998), United States
 * 13) E.K. Brown (1905-1951), Canada
 * 14) Sterling A. Brown (1901-1989), United States
 * 15) Francis Fisher Browne (1843-1913), United States
 * 16) Howard Buck (1894-1947), United States
 * 17) Stephen Burt (born 1971), United States

C

 * 1) Hayden Carruth (1921-2008), United States
 * 2) Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), England
 * 3) W.E. Collin (1893-1984), Canada
 * 4) John Churton Collins (1848-1908), England
 * 5) William John Courthope (1842-1917), England
 * 6) Malcolm Cowley (1898-1989), United States

D

 * 1) Frank Davey (born 1940), Canada
 * 2) Edward L. Davison (1898-1970), Scotland / United States
 * 3) John Dennis (1657-1734), England
 * 4) Aubrey Thomas de Vere (1814-1902), Ireland
 * 5) Sandra Djwa (born 1939), Canada
 * 6) K.V. Dominic (born 1956), India
 * 7) Edward Dowden (1843-1913), Ireland
 * 8) John Drinkwater (1882-1937), England
 * 9) Douglas Dunn (born 1942), Scotland
 * 10) Rachel Blau DuPlessis (born 1941), United States

E

 * 1) Leon Edel (1907-1997), Canada / United States
 * 2) Pelham Edgar (1871-1948), Canada
 * 3) David Eggleton (born 1952), New Zealand
 * 4) T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), United States / England
 * 5) William Empson (1906-1984), England
 * 6) Paul Engle (1908-1991), United States
 * 7) D.J. Enright (1920-2002), England

F

 * 1) James Fenton (born 1949), England
 * 2) Ford Madox Ford (1873-1939), England
 * 3) Northrop Frye (1912-1991), Canada

G

 * 1) H.W. Garrod (1878-1960), England
 * 2) Sandra M. Gilbert (born 1936), United States
 * 3) Michael Gnarowski (born 1934), Canada
 * 4) Sir Edmund Gosse (1849-1928), England
 * 5) Robert Graves (1895-1985), England
 * 6) Horace Gregory (1898-1982), United States
 * 7) Rufus Wilmot Griswold (1812-1857), United States
 * 8) Allen Grossman (1932-2014), United States
 * 9) Charles Guenther (1920-2008), United States
 * 10) Jason Guriel (born 1978), Canada

H

 * 1) John Wesley Hales (1836-1914), England
 * 2) Michael Hamburger (1924-2007), England
 * 3) Brooks Haxton (born 1950), United States
 * 4) Paul Hamilton Hayne (1830-1886), United States
 * 5) William Hazlitt (1778-1830), England
 * 6) John Heath-Stubbs (1918-2006), England
 * 7) William Ernest Henley (1849-1903), England
 * 8) Edward Hirsch (born 1950), United States
 * 9) Allen Hoey (1952-2010), United States
 * 10) John Hollander (1929-2013), United States
 * 11) John Holloway (1920-1999), England
 * 12) Jeremy Hooker (born 1941), Wales
 * 13) A.D. Hope (1907-2000), Australia
 * 14) Richard Henry Horne (1802-1884), England / Australia
 * 15) Michael Hulse (born 1955), England
 * 16) Leigh Hunt (1784-1856), England

J

 * 1) Clive James (born 1939), England
 * 2) Randall Jarrell (1914-1965), United States
 * 3) Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), England
 * 4) John Jones (born 1924), England

K

 * 1) W.J. Keith (born 1934), Canada
 * 2) Tim Kendall (born 1970), England
 * 3) Hugh Kenner (1923-2003), Canada
 * 4) W.P. Ker (1825-1923), Scotland
 * 5) Adam Kirsch (born 1976), United States

L

 * 1) Andrew Lang (1844-1912), Scotland
 * 2) F.R. Leavis (1895-1978), England
 * 3) William Logan (born 1950), United States

M

 * 1) Nathaniel Mackey (born 1947), United States
 * 2) Archibald MacMechan (1862-1933), Canada
 * 3) James McAuley (1917-1976), Australia
 * 4) J.D. McClatchy (born 1945), United States
 * 5) H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), United States
 * 6) William Minto (1845-1893), Scotland
 * 7) Marion Montgomery (1925-2011), United States
 * 8) Elizabeth Moody (1737-1814), England
 * 9) Howard Moss (1982-1987), United States
 * 10) Edwin Muir (1887-1959), Orkney Islands
 * 11) John Middleton Murry (1889-1957), England
 * 12) Frederic W.H. Myers (1843-1901), England

N

 * 1) Howard Nemerov (1920-1991), United States
 * 2) W.H. New (born 1938), Canada
 * 3) Yone Noguchi (1875-1947), Japan

O

 * 1) Geoffrey O'Brien (born 1948), United States
 * 2) Sean O'Brien (born 1952), England
 * 3) David Orr (born 1974), United States
 * 4) Thomas O'Hagan (1855-1939), Canada
 * 5) Fintan O’Toole (born 1958), Ireland

P

 * 1) Desmond Pacey (1917-1975), Canada
 * 2) Francis Turner Palgrave (1824-1897), England
 * 3) Herbert Edward Palmer (1880-1961), England
 * 4) Dorothy Parker (1893-1967), United States
 * 5) Walter Pater (1839-1894), England
 * 6) Coventry Patmore (1823-1896), England
 * 7) Tom Paulin (born 1949), England
 * 8) Marjorie Perloff (born 1931), United States
 * 9) Robert Peters (1924-2014), United States
 * 10) Lorne Pierce (1890-1961), Canada
 * 11) Vivian de Sola Pinto (1895-1969), England
 * 12) Robert Polito (born 1951), United States
 * 13) John Cowper Powys (1872-1963), Wales
 * 14) Kevin Prufer (born 1969), United States

R

 * 1) Ernest Radford (1857-1919), England
 * 2) Kathleen Raine (1908–2003), England
 * 3) John Crowe Ransom (1888-1974), United States
 * 4) Malcolm Ross (1911-2002), Canada
 * 5) John Ruskin (1819-1900), England

S

 * 1) Peter Sanger (born 1943), Canada
 * 2) Dan Schneider (born 1965), United States
 * 3) Stephen Scobie (born 1943), Canada
 * 4) F.R. Scott (1899-1985), Canada
 * 5) John Campbell Shairp (1819-1885), Scotland
 * 6) Iain Sharp (born 1953), New Zealand
 * 7) Eli Siegel (1902-1978), United States
 * 8) Dame Edith Sitwell (1887–1964), England
 * 9) Vivian Smith (born 1933), Australia
 * 10) David Solway (born 1941), Canada
 * 11) Gilbert Sorrentino (1929-2006), United States
 * 12) Joseph Spence (1699-1768), England
 * 13) Carmine Starnino (born 1970), Canada
 * 14) Jon Stallworthy (born 1935), England
 * 15) C.K. Stead (born 1932), New Zealand
 * 16) Edmund Clarence Stedman (1833-1908), United States
 * 17) Susan Stewart (born 1952), United States
 * 18) Richard Henry Stoddard (1825-1903), United States
 * 19) Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909), England
 * 20) Arthur Symons (1865-1945), England

T

 * 1) Bayard Taylor (1825-1878), United States
 * 2) William Roscoe Thayer (1859-1923), United States
 * 3) Angela Topping (born 1954), England
 * 4) Richard Marggraf Turley (born 1970), Wales

U

 * 1) Louis Untermeyer (1885-1977), United States

V

 * 1) Mark Van Doren (1894-1972), United States
 * 2) Pasquale Verdicchio (born 1954), Canada

W

 * 1) John Wain (1925-1994), England
 * 2) William Sidney Walker (1795-1846), England
 * 3) Adolphus William Ward (1837-1924), England
 * 4) Thomas Warton (1728-1790), England
 * 5) Theodore Watts-Dunton (1832-1914), England
 * 6) Edmund Wilson (1895-1972), United States
 * 7) Yvor Winters (1900-1968), United States
 * 8) George Woodcock (1912-1995), Canada

Y

 * 1) Stephen Yenser (born 1941), United States