Călinescu romancier. Enigma Otiliei între romanul balzacian și ambiguitatea secolului al XX-lea

G. Călinescu highlighted the absence of a major balzacian novel in Romanian literature and set out to fill this gap himself. Enigma Otiliei, has become one of the most frequently cited examples of the genre in Romanian literature. While many key balzacian elements are present, however, the novel often strays from its professed model. This paper examines the complex ways in which Călinescu’s novel both adheres to and deviates from the balzacian tradition. Modern themes, sensibilities, and literary techniques permeate Călinescu’s work. Critics have noted the presence of humor and the predominance of scenes over summary, action, or plot. The most significant deviation from the balzacian novel, however, lies in the complexity of Călinescu’s main characters, and, consequently, in relationships that are much harder to define. Contrary to secondary characters that conform to balzacian types, Felix and Pascalopol transcend their suggested social categories, be it through their fraught and contradictory relationship itself – a complex interplay of jealousy and affection. The study also addresses the challenge of integrating the intellectual into social categories and into balzacian types. Otilia is said to be an enigma, but, as the author states himself, she is an enigma for Felix, and for Pascalopol incidentally. Another focus of this paper is the influence of the reflector character in instilling ambiguity within the narrative, a feature more characteristic of 20th-century literature than the balzacian tradition.