Early Russian formalism distinguished between the internal logic of the evolution of literary phenomena and non-literary influences (psychology, ideology, sociology, etc.), subsumed under the concept of “genesis.” With Tynjanov, the search for the laws of mutation of literary processes resulted in a definition of literary “genre” as a dynamic and changing configuration of distinctive traits and signs. Tynjanov was in search of the “constructive principles” that transform a configuration of elements into a moving field of potentialities in which dominated and dominating factors are in a permanent struggle for “survival.” One of the most innovative ideas was that of structural homology between the syntax of texts and diachronic series. Each particular text calls for an influx of materials or devices that have not yet been automatized; moreover, reconstituting the center of cultural dynamics requires a supply of new materials coming from the periphery of the literary or cultural system. This gives rise to a permanent new-old-new cycle. Forgotten genres and styles are repatriated from the cultural margins toward the center.