In the critique and historiography of modern Greek literature, as well as in those of art, the notion of "generation" has been widely used both for their periodization and for the determination of a multitude of literary or artistic "generations". However, the basic international bibliography and the theoretical discussion regarding this concept are almost completely ignored.

Therefore, I consider that a series of fundamental questions remain unanswered: How is a literary or artistic "generation" defined? When and how is it formed? What are its age limits? Who does it include? How many years does it last and remain active as a "generation"? Do "generations" appear sporadically or have regular periodicity? How does one "generation" succeed another? Are "generations" born or made? What is the relationship between biological age and literary or artistic age? What are the correspondences and relationships between adult literary, artistic, scientific, political, and broader social "generations"? Are "generations" truly and consciously formed and act in the historical development of their era or are they inventions of historians who construct them retrospectively? Are "generations" real and active social entities in the field of history or are they "places of memory"?

In this study, I attempt a critical overview of the generational theories and periodization systems of history, literary history, and art history, from the late 18th century to the present. Initially, the relevant empirical perceptions are presented from Voltaire and Immanuel Kant to Charles Sénac de Meilhan and Wilhelm Dilthey; then, the successive generational theories and periodization systems of literary history and art history formulated by François Mentré, Ortega y Gasset, Wilhelm Pinder, Karl Mannheim, Ernst Bloch, Albert Thibaudet, Arnold Hauser, Pierre Bourdieu, Pierre Nora, and others are analyzed.

Finally, I attempt to historicize the above theories in terms of their sequence and their divergences/differentiations, as well as their dialectical confrontation within their respective conceptual frameworks.