This encyclopaedia offers a comprehensive and scholarly survey of major traditions, figures, and approaches in literary criticism across the world. It presents a structured understanding of how critical thought has developed across languages, cultures, and historical contexts, examining the role of critics and scholars in shaping literary interpretation and evaluation. The book explores diverse critical perspectives, including classical, modern, and contemporary approaches, and highlights how literary criticism responds to changing intellectual, social, and cultural conditions. By situating criticism within broader literary traditions, it demonstrates how critical discourse influences the reception of texts, authors, and genres, and how it contributes to the evolution of literary studies as an academic discipline.

The book further provides comparative insight into global critical practices, illustrating similarities and differences in national and thematic traditions of criticism. Designed as an authoritative reference, it is intended for students, researchers, and academics seeking an internationally relevant and academically grounded resource on the history, scope, and significance of world literary criticism.