Literary criticism has undergone a long journey with the discussion of authorial meaning and intention, regarding the historical period in which the literary text has been produced and interpreted. Hans-Georg Gadamer and Eric Donald Hirsch Jr. stand out as two canonical names that have lead intense discussions on the problem of historicity and anachronism, and have contributed to the science of interpretation—hermeneutics—in ways contrasting with each other. This comparative essay rests on their major works—Validity in Interpretation, by Hirsch, and Truth and Method, by Gadamer. It looks through the lenses of Deconstruction, however, as it attempts to apply their hermeneutics in literature. This analysis is limited to the primary works of G...