Must-read Sci-fi & Fantasy books

[mithrand1r]

I think that there are books that fit outside of your boundaries.

Gulliver's Travels could be considered a fantasy book. At the moment, I can not think of another pre-1800 fantasy/sci-fi books..

Why should children stories not be considered as fantasy or sci-fi books?

Originally Posted by GrayMouser

I disagree with the inclusion of Dante/Milton/the Odyssey/Orlando Furioso etc. in lists of this type, not, obviously, on literary grounds, but on the question of genre.

I think "Fantasy" as a genre -not to mention "Science Fiction"- should be restricted to modern (19th-century on) works where both author and reader acknowledge they're entering into imaginary worlds.

"Frankenstein" (1818) would be my nominee for the first 'true' SF, George MacDonald's "Phantastes" (1858) for the first work in "Fantasy".

As well I would distinguish children's books like Pooh, "The Wind in the Willows" "Alice", and even my own personal favorite Moomintroll, from Fantasy.