How to learn genre

Now that I hope someone has had fun with ways we can avoid understanding genre in literature and music, howzabout some ways of learning genre?


Suggestion #1; heed C.S. Lewis' admonition that we do well to read a large number of older books, not just the ones of today; he who is wed to the spirit of this age soon finds himself widowed, or something like that. Apply the same to music.

Suggestion #2; read Douglas Wilson's comments on satire. If you don't get a good belly laugh--or even if you do--you need to go back to suggestion #1. He draws (IMO) a beautiful picture of what Christian communication should be, even though the direct comments are about satire and a review of one of his books.