Samuel Johnson is widely regarded as the father of modern literary criticism due to his influential work, \"Lives of the English Poets\", which provided detailed biographical and critical analysis of prominent poets.

Cleanth Brooks is credited with developing the theory of \"the New Criticism\", which emphasized the importance of close reading and analysis of literary texts without relying on external factors such as author's biography or historical context.

T.S. Eliot's \"The Sacred Wood\" is a collection of essays that explores various aspects of literature, including poetry, drama, and criticism. It is considered a significant work in modern literary criticism.

Jacques Derrida is widely recognized for his contributions to \"deconstruction\", a critical approach that examines the underlying structures and assumptions of texts and challenges traditional notions of meaning and interpretation.

Wayne C. Booth's \"The Rhetoric of Fiction\" is a seminal work in literary criticism that explores the relationship between rhetoric and fiction, examining how authors use language to create meaning and persuade readers.

Roland Barthes' \"The Death of the Author\" is an influential essay that argues that the author's intention is irrelevant to the interpretation of a literary text, and that the meaning of a text is created by the reader.

Harold Bloom's \"The Anxiety of Influence\" explores the relationship between poets and their predecessors, arguing that poets struggle with the influence of earlier poets and seek to create their own unique voice.

Raymond Williams is a prominent figure in cultural studies, known for his work on the relationship between culture, society, and literature. His book \"Culture and Society\" is a foundational text in the field.

J. Hillis Miller's \"The Poetics of Relation\" examines the relationship between language, literature, and philosophy, exploring how language shapes our understanding of the world.

Elaine Showalter is a pioneer in feminist criticism, known for her work on the history and development of women's writing. Her book \"A Literature of Their Own\" is a seminal text in the field.

Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar's \"The Madwoman in the Attic\" is a groundbreaking work in feminist criticism that examines the representation of women in literature and the ways in which women's voices have been marginalized.

Edward Said is a prominent figure in postcolonial criticism, known for his work on the relationship between literature and imperialism. His book \"Orientalism\" is a foundational text in the field.

Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin are the authors of \"The Empire Writes Back\", a seminal work in postcolonial criticism that examines the ways in which colonized peoples have used literature to resist and challenge imperial power.

Judith Butler is a prominent figure in queer theory, known for her work on gender performativity and the subversion of traditional notions of gender and sexuality. Her book \"Gender Trouble\" is a foundational text in the field.

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's \"The Epistemology of the Closet\" is a groundbreaking work in queer theory that examines the ways in which homosexuality has been constructed as a hidden and marginalized identity.