 Much of her early work, Cernat argues, is characterized by "mannerism", related to Onirism and using psychoanalytic techniques.The links with Onirism and Surrealism have also been noted by critic Matei Călinescu, who also noted that Cesereanu took inspiration from the tradition of fairy tales and legends, in particular in pieces where she reinterprets Arthurian legends and retells the mythical search for the Holy Grail.Cesereanu's collaborator and literary historian Doina Jela describes her prose as "postmodern", while historian and civil society activist Adrian Marino calls her "the most original, but also the most paradoxical writer from Cluj-Napoca".