Neo-classic criticism of the previous age predominated in the age of Johnson. However, a new kind of criticism – the romantic criticism was also rising.
A Barker in his admirable book Literary Criticism in the age of Johnson emphasizes the dual trends in the criticism of the later half of the 18th century: the persistence of the neo-classic trends, and the rise of romanticism. The Neo-classic school is still dominant, but it is being undermined by the rising romantic criticism of the age – a criticism which does not believe in rules, and in adherence to authority.