Seminal work

A seminal work is a work from which other works come--it is an engendering work which is so important in its ideas or technique that other people take these up and create new works too.

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For example, Darwin's 1859 The Origin of Species is a seminal work. Applications of evolutionary theory in art, literature, anthropology, and many other fields began to multiply after 1859 and continue to do so today. So this book was seminal.

Related Topics:
Darwin - 1859 - The Origin of Species

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A seminal work is related to, but should not be confused with a Magnum opus, which can also refer to the greatest work of a single individual (whether seminal or not). Origin of Species is considered Darwin's magnum opus and happens to be a seminal work too. Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon may be described truly as a seminal work--for it is considered the beginning point of Cubism. But Picasso's Guernica is considered by many his magnum opus -- his largest or greatest work.

Related Topics:
Magnum opus - Greatest - Picasso - Les Demoiselles d'Avignon - Guernica

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