Literature is the artistic shaping of human experience through language, and literary criticism is the disciplined inquiry into how that shaping occurs and why it matters. Across historical periods, critics have debated whether literature imitates reality, constructs it, challenges it, or destabilizes it. Underlying these debates is a persistent concern with language: its structure, symbolism, emotional force, and ideological power. This research paper traces the development of literary criticism from classical antiquity through modern theoretical movements to contemporary critical paradigms. It argues that changing theories of language fundamentally shaped changing theories of literature. From mimetic and moral frameworks in classical thought, to structural and linguistic models in modern criticism, and finally to contemporary approaches that foreground power, identity, and discourse, literary criticism reflects broader intellectual transformations in philosophy, politics, and culture.