J. R. de J. Jackson 
Historical Criticism and the Meaning of Texts [PDF ebook] 

In this original and significant contribution to literary controversy, first published in 1989, Professor Jackson argues on semantic grounds that historical criticism, which he defines as the attempt to read works of literature and criticism as they were read when they were new, is a necessary preliminary to other ways of approaching the literature of the past. He distinguishes between the difficulties inherent in the practice of historical critics and the problems encountered by historians. Historical criticism as he describes it is an ideal that has yet to be attained and he explores strategies for coming closer to it. This title will be of interest to students of literature.