M. H. Abrams was an American literary critic whose scholarly work significantly shaped the study of English literature in the United States. He is particularly known for his contributions to Romanticism studies, most notably through his book The Mirror and the Lamp, which became a foundational text in literary criticism. Abrams served as editor of The Norton Anthology of English Literature, a role that had profound impact on American higher education. Under his editorship, the anthology became the standard text for undergraduate survey courses across the country and established itself as a major force in determining which works and authors were considered part of the literary canon.