Open Access

Ladislav Šimon

• The author describes the difficulties of the literary canon in the wider context of information flow and the necessity of its selection. He presents several projects (Radatz, Bloom, Reich-Ranicki) and considers their problems. He notes that there is no canon as such, but any attempt is influenced by the cultural circles in which these attempts originated. New initiatives in science and culture also have an effect on the contemporary perception of the canon; the author presents the feminist and postcolonial discourse. This contributes to the revision of the existing canons, where not only literary or aesthetical criteria come into play, but also a whole range of social processes and activities. The author further states the problems with school practice and with the questioning of the canon. Finally, he points out the various aspects related to the literary canon (personal-motivational, axiological, historical, the aspect of production, reception and interpretation, didactic and economical aspect). The phenomenon of the canon is considered ambivalent, on the other hand, however, he is aware of its possible usefulness.