What are some other "foundational" works like William Gibsons Neuromancer or J. R. R. Tolkiens Lord of the Rings?
This week I finished Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson, and with it, the Sprawl Trilogy. Ever since I read Neuromancer, i have been recognizing its influence everywhere.
To me it feels like Neuromancer and Lord of the Rings are very similar in that they are foundational works in their genres, and you can see their influence in everything that follows after their success. Of course the modern fantasy genre is much bigger than cyberpunk, so LotR's influence is much more visible.
I also read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" but I just don't see its impact as much as with William Gibsons work, maybe I need to watch the 1982 movie to understand its influence. Pride and Prejudice was also one of the books I read last year, but there are so many (different) views on the book, its a little overwhelming to try and find out the truth about its cultural impact. I am sure there was contemporary romance like it before? Did it popularize it more?
I am thinking about what other works are there, that had a similar impact.
What other books were able to create a new genre?
What could be the most recent example of something like this?
And do you think, that having a pioneer like these two benefits a genre, or does the giant influence stories like Neuromancer or Lord of the Rings restrict a genre?
We still have elves, dwarfs and goblins, maybe the genre could have evolved faster, if LotR was a little less successful.
I would love to hear other opinions, and sorry for the spelling, english is not my first language. ^^
Oh, wow there are so many, thanks already hahaha