The Canonical Mechanism. Two Cases of Literature – Cezar Petrescu and Camil Petrescu

The present work aims to analyze the trajectory of two novels, in order to reveal the Canonical Mechanism, by which the status of the literary works changed over time. This approach primarily involved a return to redefining the concept of the Literary Canon. A working tool of literature, depending on the social, curricular, political, ideological, aesthetic or cultural component, the Literary Canon is primarily a mark of the vitality and persistence over time of the writings. What are the strengths of a novel like Patul lui Procust through which we could argue the mechanism of insertion in public memory? Why does a novel like Întunecare lose the fight against time? In order to provide a perspective on this discussion, we are forced not only to analyze the actualizing mechanisms of the novel, but also to play a double role in this analysis of the novel, both led by the critical act, which implies an objective approach to the text, and by the subjective act of placement in the role of reader.