Abstract
The chapter questions the general assumptions raised by definiton of literary canon. The analysis aims to point out the paradoxes encountred when it comes to define the literary canon: on one hand it is possible to assume that it represents a general consensus based on shared and relatively stable axiological criteria, on the other I draw attention to the fact that the nature of literary canon undergoes modifications depending on political shifts.
In France, the questions on how to model a literary canon weres raised in close relation to the education, especially during the republican period of the 19th Century when it became more or less institutionalised. Despite the permanent questioning and destabilization the literary canon stays a crucial key for defining the norm of educational process as well as for literary critique.