The author confronts the systemic approach to education from the viewpoint of the basic principles of the theory of systems with the exemplary approach to education from the viewpoint of the theory of exemplary teaching and learning as a serviceable selection of that subject-matter which in the sense of O. Chlup’s basic subject-matter theory can be considered as basic, and which at the same time enables the pupils’ comprehension, knowledge and skills to be deepened and extended in the teaching process. After the West German discussion on exemplariness in literary education there appears a concrete possibility of applying both kinds of approach in classroom literary instruction with analysis and critical evaluation of the work according to domestic and foreign syllabi with examples of themes from Czech and Slovak literature and from the Soviet syllabi of literature. The author comes to the conclusion that the systemic conception of education and exemplariness in literary education do not exclude each other and that the application of exemplariness within the framework of the systemic approach to this education may lead to greater effectiveness of educational work.