Abstract

This study seeks to highlight certain dimensions and intellectual backgrounds that prevailed in the Arab world during the Arab Renaissance Phase, and was clearly responsible for the emergence and development of Modern Arab Criticism, which was represented by values of rationality and freedom in essence and related to objectivity and the opportunity to reflection and criticism afterward. This study was designed -to illustrate the impact of these ideas- on the efforts which were included in two Arabic critical works at the beginning of the twentieth century, which had the greatest impact on the formation and development of Modern Arab Criticism. These efforts are represented by the book "Tareikh Elm Aladab and Alefrang was Alarab Wa Victor Hugo” by Rawhi Alkhalidi, and the book (Manhal Alworad fee Elm Al-entiqad) By Qustaki al-Himsi, where the intellectual background is clear in their work, and influenced their critical discourse and was the beginning of the formation of modern Arab criticism. The study began by giving a general view of the state of criticism in the nineteenth century, which was dominated by stalemate and tradition of ancient criticism often, because of the absence of a modern intellectual background to contribute to its development on the one hand, and on the other hand, the attempts to develop and update were going to other things that had a priority at that historical stage.