History OnceOriginalNowCommon / Literature

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} certainly qualifies. In the original novel, Don Diego Vega's SecretIdentity is patently obvious to anyone familiar with basically any superhero comic book at all, including by PopculturalOsmosis, even if they're not familiar with Zorro as a franchise. Many of those comics[[note]]most notably Franchise/{{Batman}}, to the point that almost every mainstream retelling of the [[DeathByOriginStory the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne]] since Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' (the lone exception to date being ''Film/BatmanBegins'') shows them leaving a screening of a Zorro movie, usually ''Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940''[[/note]] were ''inspired'' by Zorro in the first place. Also, some people think Zorro was inspired by ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'', Myth/RobinHood, and the like.

* Creator/RobertSheckley's stories "The Prize of Peril" and "The Seventh Victim" detail a DeadlyGame in which players are trying to compete for popularity and a life-changing money. To do so, the protagonists are put in life-threatening peril. While plenty of others have come up with the various ideas, the idea of the DeadlyGame was something ''quite'' surprising and shocking to viewers. After works such as ''Manga/{{Kaiji}}'', ''Film/WouldYouRather'', ''Manga/AsTheGodsWill'', ''Manga/{{Gantz}}'', and ''Series/SquidGame'', the premise might seem ''quite'' tame!

* LightNovels set in a WizardingSchool (and usually the {{harem|Genre}} hijinks they feature) were a major critical whipping boy during the first half of TheNewTens (and [[ClicheStorm not]] [[FollowTheLeader without reason]]). Because of such a major backlash, series like ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and ''LightNovel/InfiniteStratos'' look awfully tired today, when they were some of the first to even establish that genre as a cash cow in the first place. ''Index'', while it does love its harem shenanigans, is an action series first and foremost and largely drops the {{Fanservice}} when it's time to get serious, and its "school" part is largely window dressing as most non-{{Filler}} arcs ''don't even take place in school''. ''IS'', on the other hand, is a largely light-hearted {{ecchi}} harem, with the titular {{Mecha}} really only used as window dressing, therefore all the {{Fanservice}} fits with its tone, and doesn't seem out of place. However, both, due to the CriticalBacklash, have fallen victim to the same "hate on principle" as their predecessors, even though they were the ones that all the others copied in the first place.

* Many novels and stories by Creator/HGWells contain what seem like very dated, unambitious and dull uses of sci-fi devices. For example, in ''Literature/TheTimeMachine'', the time traveller simply goes to the future, has a look at what it's like... and then comes back home again. However, Wells one of the earlier examples of an author who wrote what we would now consider to be scifi, to the extent that the term 'science fiction' did not exist - Wells himself invented the term 'scientific romance' to describe his works). This can be applied equally to many other early sci-fi works. Also, Wells is famous for inventing ''nearly every other sci-fi trope'' and inputting them in his stories. Said devices are now part of nearly every novel, comic, video game, movie and anime that has science fiction elements.

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' nowadays seems ''just'' like a lot of other books you have probably read several times by now. Kids discovering a mysterious pathway to another world, finding their arrival to this strange new world to be predicted in prophecy, some of the residents are pleased to find them, while others want them all dead, and soon everyone embarks on a large adventure to save the world... Yeah, it doesn't sound too original today. Oh, and as for Biblical references? ''* Yawn* ''. Name something today that ''doesn't'' [[FauxSymbolism draw from]] Literature/TheBible heavily.

* ''Literature/TheLeatherstockingTales'' by James Fenimore Cooper not only put America on the literary map, but also pioneered a positive portrayal of Native Americans in adventure fiction, which got Cooper quite a bit of flak from contemporary American politicians, who at the time were pursuing an active policy of driving Indians from land that white Americans wanted. But since ''The Leatherstocking Tales'' are written in the style of Romanticism (which dramatically fell out of fashion with the rise of literary Realism), since the "NobleSavage" is now often viewed with suspicion, and since so many of Cooper's plot elements were reused by other writers of Western and general adventure fiction, he is now often viewed as trite, at least in his native America. Even before the 19th century was up, Creator/MarkTwain was excoriating Cooper as an overrated hack writer in his famous 1895 essay "Literature/FenimoreCoopersLiteraryOffences".

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} certainly qualifies. In the original novel, [[{{RichIdiotWithNoDayJob}} Don Diego Vega]]'s SecretIdentity is patently obvious to anyone familiar with basically any superhero comic book at all, including by PopculturalOsmosis, even if they're not familiar with Zorro as a franchise. Many of those comics[[note]]most notably Franchise/{{Batman}}, to the point that almost every mainstream retelling of the [[{{DeathByOriginStory}} the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne]] since Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' ( the lone exception to date being ''Film/BatmanBegins'') shows them leaving a screening of a Zorro movie, usually ''Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940''[[/note]] were ''inspired'' by Zorro in the first place. And some people think Zorro was inspired by ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'', Myth/RobinHood, and the like.

* LightNovels set in a WizardingSchool (and usually the {{harem|Genre}} hijinks they feature) were a major critical whipping boy during the first half of TheNewTens (and [[ClicheStorm not]] [[FollowTheLeader without reason]]). Because of such a major backlash, series like ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and ''LightNovel/InfiniteStratos'' look awfully tired today, when they were some of the first to even establish that genre as a cash cow in the first place. ''Index'', while it does love its harem shenanigans, is an action series first and foremost and largely drops the {{Fanservice}} when it's time to get serious, and its "school" part is largely window dressing as most non-{{Filler}} arcs ''don't even take place in school''. ''IS'', on the other hand, is a largely light-hearted {{ecchi}} harem, with the titular {{Mecha}} really only used as window dressing, therefore all the {{Fanservice}} fits with its tone, and doesn't seem out of place. However, both, due to the CriticalBacklash, have fallen victim to the same "hate on principle" as their predecessors, even though they were the ones that all the others copied in the first place.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': Touma's [[GameBreaker absurdly broken power,]] [[UnderdogsNeverLose seeming inability to lose]] and [[KirkSummation constant moral preaching]] will get on your nerves quickly, but he was one of the {{Trope Codifier}}s for the StockLightNovelHero and in fact, in the modern day where {{Showy Invincible Hero}}es are the norm for light novels, looks downright {{subver|tedTrope}}sive. Both his incredible power and his incredible goodness are given concrete, in-universe explanations and are noticed, pointed out, and played with, which is far more than most light novel heroes in this day and age get.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} certainly qualifies. In the original novel, [[{{RichIdiotWithNoDayJob}} Don Diego Vega]]'s SecretIdentity is patently obvious to anyone familiar with basically any superhero comic book at all, including by PopculturalOsmosis, even if they're not familiar with Zorro as a franchise. Many of those comics[[note]]most notably Franchise/{{Batman}}, to the point that almost every mainstream retelling of the [[{{DeathByOriginStory}} the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne]] since Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' (except for ''Film/BatmanBegins'') shows them leaving a screening of a Zorro movie, usually ''Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940''[[/note]] were ''inspired'' by Zorro in the first place. And some people think Zorro was inspired by ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'', Myth/RobinHood, and the like.

* ''Literature/LostSouls''. While Creator/PoppyZBrite's novel probably didn't originate of a lot of vampire clichés - bisexual, seductive vampires, New Orleans, Goths, HoYay - these tropes were a lot fresher when he and Creator/AnneRice wrote their books.

* Creator/RobertSheckley's stories "The Prize of Peril" and "The Seventh Victim" detail a DeadlyGame in which players are trying to compete for popularity and a life-changing money. To do so, the protagonists are put in life-threatening peril. While plenty of others have come up with the various ideas, the idea of the DeadlyGame was something ''quite'' surprising and shocking to viewers. After works such as ''Manga/{{Kaiji}}'', ''Film/WouldYouRather'', ''Manga/AsTheGodsWill'', ''Manga/{{Gantz}}'', and ''LiveActionTV/SquidGame'', the premise might seem ''quite'' tame!

** They also are perhaps some of the ''earliest'' examples of WorldBuilding and TrappedInAnotherWorld, amongst many other tropes. Reading them today, they can come off as very simplistic, sometimes hard to digest due to how Baum wrote, and full of [[NewRulesAsThePlotDemands inconsistent logic]], [[DeusExMachina Deus ex Machinas]], and [[MarySueTopia a load of characters who never seem to struggle to get what they want]]. However it's important to note that these books were written in the 1900s to the 1920s (by Baum at least) - ''long'' before many of the books that popularised fantasy were written. (The last one predates The Hobbit by ''a decade''.)

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} certainly qualifies. In the original novel, [[{{RichIdiotWithNoDayJob}} Don Diego Vega]]'s SecretIdentity is patently obvious to anyone familiar with basically any superhero comic book at all, including by PopculturalOsmosis, even if they're not familiar with Zorro as a franchise. Many of those comics[[note]]most notably Franchise/{{Batman}}, to the point that almost every mainstream retelling of the [[{{DeathByOriginStory}} the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne]] since Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' (except for {{Film/BatmanBegins}}) shows them leaving a screening of a Zorro movie, usually ''Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940''[[/note]] were ''inspired'' by Zorro in the first place. And some people think Zorro was inspired by ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'', Myth/RobinHood, and the like.

* ''Literature/ASoundOfThunder'', a short story by Creator/RayBradbury, was about time travelers who went back to prehistoric times, [[ButterflyOfDoom killed a butterfly]], and [[GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel accidently caused a fascist candidate to win the presidential elections]]. Which was a really original plot, when it was written. However, those story elements are so trite now that when the movie loosely based on the story was made, it was criticized for using old, tired cliches.

* While ''Literature/SalemsLot'' is still considered to be one of King's best books, after almost fifty years of Stephen King novels, the way he brings a whole community to life and weaves them into his horror plot can feel less novel and unique.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} certainly qualifies. In the original novel, [[{{RichIdiotWithNoDayJob}} Don Diego Vega]]'s SecretIdentity is patently obvious to anyone familiar with basically any superhero comic book at all, including by PopculturalOsmosis, even if they're not familiar with Zorro as a franchise. Except many of those comics, most notably Franchise/{{Batman}} (to the point that with [[{{Film/BatmanBegins}} one exception to date]] every mainstream retelling of the [[{{DeathByOriginStory}} the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne]] since Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' shows them leaving a screening of a Zorro movie, usually ''Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940''), were ''inspired'' by Zorro in the first place. And even Zorro is believed by many to have been inspired by ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'', Myth/RobinHood, and the like.

** Harry Potter also had a MythArc - while [[RuleOfThree far from the first to do this]], most childrens book series were [[RandomEventsPlot episodic in nature]] with the occasional passage of time, (But [[NotAllowedToGrowUp not too much]]), with a ''few'' having a well defined MythArc. After books like Harry Potter, ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' and ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'', it's hard to believe just how much this meant back in the day.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} certainly qualifies. In the original novel, [[{{RichIdiotWithNoDayJob}} Don Diego Vega]]'s SecretIdentity is patently obvious to anyone familiar with basically any superhero comic book at all, including by PopculturalOsmosis, even if they're not familiar with Zorro as a franchise. Except many of those comics, most notably Franchise/{{Batman}} (to the point that with [[{{Film/BatmanBegins}} one exception to date]] every mainstream retelling of the [[{{DeathByOriginStory}} the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne]] shows them leaving a screening of a Zorro movie, usually ''Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940''), were ''inspired'' by Zorro in the first place. And even Zorro is believed by many to have been inspired by ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'', Myth/RobinHood, and the like.

* ''Literature/TheBadSeed'' chilled readers to the bone back in 1954. Its story of [[EnfantTerrible a cute, doll-faced little girl who manipulates her peers and ruins their lives]] was at the time pretty much unheard of. It was also important in making people realize that parents aren't always to blame for a child's misconduct. With the advent of later novels like 1962's ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'' and 1993's ''Film/TheGoodSon'', modern readers are less likely to be impacted the same way as the 1950's generation was. As psychology has marched on, the novel's implication that "some people are just born evil" has become highly debatable, and—since this was before the second wave of feminism in the 1960's—its depiction of several mothers as doting housewives has not helped its cause.

** There was a Holmes story in which Holmes is sure that he got the right guy, but the guy has an alibi. What could possibly be going on? Can you figure it out? Turns out [[spoiler:the guy had an identical twin.]] [[SarcasmMode Bet you never saw that one coming, did you?]]

* For about ten years or so, Creator/GeorgeRRMartin's ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' was considered the ultimate in subversive epic fantasy. Little to no magic, no elves or dwarves (at least, not fantasy dwarves), profanity, uncensored sex, graphic violence and no PlotArmor for ''anyone''. But it was also a heavily character-driven piece with genuine heart, even if that wasn't always recognized. By the 2010's, it had spawned so many imitators who mainly copied its surface qualities (extreme violence and death, explicit sex) that it no longer feels like anything really different, and is primarily thought of as "that series where everybody dies" due to its at-the-time-unheard-of tendency to kill characters that would usually survive to the end of similar books.
** YMMV, but the reputation can be somewhat exaggerated. Although plenty of minor characters die, not unexpected in a book of [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters so many characters]], only a few were major POV characters- Ned, Catelyn, Jon. After the first book, it would be easy to classify three main POV characters as Tyrion, Daenerys, and Jon Snow. Throughout the first five books, only the last one is killed and will likely be brought back to life (heavily speculated in the books, already occurred in the television show). It's more shocking how often the plot drastically changes with character deaths having major political impacts, which averts the more standard tendency to change the status quo slowly.

* Nowadays, ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' by Creator/RobertJordan is considered a horrendously cliched example of how all fantasy books are too long, with series that go on seemingly without end and yet little happens in them. When the first volume was published, in 1991, most fantasy novels were actually quite short, and/or tended to be trilogies or quintets at the very longest. However, he inspired so many other writers to [[{{Padding}} pad out their volumes]] and stretch their stories over ten or twelve volumes that by the 2000's he gets lumped in with those he inspired, often cited as the UrExample, but rarely acknowledged as the man who started the trend.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} certainly qualifies. In the original novel, [[{{RichIdiotWithNoDayJob}} Don Diego Vega]]'s SecretIdentity is patently obvious to anyone familiar with basically any superhero comic book at all, including by PopculturalOsmosis, even if they're not familiar with Zorro as a franchise. Except many of those comics, most notably Franchise/{{Batman}} (to the point that with [[{{Film/BatmanBegins}} one exception to date]] every mainstream retelling of the [[{{DeathByOriginStory}} the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne]] shows them leaving a screening of a Zorro movie, usually ''Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940''), were ''inspired'' by Zorro in the first place. And even Zorro may have been inspired by ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'', Myth/RobinHood, and the like.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} certainly qualifies. In the original novel, [[{{RichIdiotWithNoDayJob}} Don Diego Vega]]'s SecretIdentity is patently obvious to anyone familiar with basically any superhero comic book at all, including by PopculturalOsmosis, even if they're not familiar with Zorro as a franchise. Except many of those comics, most notably Franchise/{{Batman}} (to the point that with [[{{Film/BatmanBegins}} one exception to date]] every retelling of the [[{{DeathByOriginStory}} the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne]] shows them leaving a screening of a Zorro movie, usually ''Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940''), were ''inspired'' by Zorro in the first place. And even Zorro may have been inspired by ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'', Myth/RobinHood, and the like.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} certainly qualifies. In the original novel, [[{{RichIdiotWithNoDayJob}} Don Diego Vega]]'s SecretIdentity is patently obvious to anyone familiar with basically any superhero comic book at all, including by PopculturalOsmosis, even if they're not familiar with Zorro as a franchise. Except many of those comics, most notably Franchise/{{Batman}} (to the point that with [[{{Film/BatmanBegins}} one exception to date]] every retelling of the [[{{DeathByOriginStory}} the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne]] shows them leaving a screening of a Zorro movie, usually ''Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940''), were ''inspired'' by Zorro in the first place. And even Zorro may have been inspired by ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' and the like.