Exhaustion

Let me start off by saying how glad I am for the outline of "Essay on Criticism." With the exception of the epic poems of the ancients, this was by far the largest chunk of poetry I've ever read.
Which, I guess, is in fact explained by Pope's high admiration for the ancient poets and strong belief of emulating their style, passion and form. Pope places immense value on the processes by which a writer comes to maturity and worthiness of high critique. So Pope also says of the processes of becoming a worthy critic; the two, the author and the judge, must check and guide each other.
Eagleton also pays due homage to the ancients, but instead of strictly following Pope's focus of the critic's need for integrity, level-headedness and worthiness, he recounts critic's (specifically rhetoric's) places through time. Eagleton defines how the major world-wide events and resulting changes in ideologies removed and replaced rhetoric in the areas of politics, the public sphere, the private sphere, the transcendent, the specific.
Both authors, however, recognize in the critic the necessity of deep appreciation and understanding of the art of writing. As the author's true being as a writer is developed over time, accumulation of wit, understanding of human nature, so the critic must closely shadow the author's moves in analyzing methodologies, discovering contexts and intentions, relating ideas and examples -- and vice versa.