Literary criticism is the practice of analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating literary works. It serves as a bridge between the text and its readers, offering insights into the deeper meanings, themes, and structures that shape literature. Various schools of thought have emerged over the centuries, each providing unique perspectives on how to approach and understand literary texts. The main types of literary criticism discussed in this essay include formalism, structuralism, historical criticism, feminist criticism, psychoanalytic criticism, and postcolonial criticism.