This study provides more than a historical account of the development of criticism. It examines the epistemology of criticism, and pursues how criticism on a fundamental structural level develops and changes. The work focuses on the transformation of the critical theories of Classicism and Romanticism. It does so with respect to how one discusses art and the artist, and with respect to the epistemological changes in these discussions. The thesis is that art gradually disconnects itself from the practical purposes and the codified language conducting the task of the classical artist. Ultimately, the target of this work is the concept of truth - the idea of a linkage between poetry and truth and the idea of the poet as a prophet and seer. This book should be a useful text for humanities classes as well as courses in the history of criticism and aesthetics.