Seminal text — English definition
A foundational work important enough to shape the writing, thinking, or identity that came after it — a text later writers argue with.
Where it is taught
- Analyzing Seminal Texts — Close Reading & Literary Analysis, English 11: American Voices, Identity & Public Memory, Grade 11
In use
A seminal text — a foundational work — does more than reflect its era; it shapes what comes after, so that later writers spend generations agreeing with it, revising it, or arguing back.
Analyzing Seminal Texts