Course lesson
Apply Genre Rules
Read each passage according to the way that type of writing communicates.
Course lesson
How to complete this study section
This lesson teaches that genre is the author's chosen form of communication. Narrative, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, Gospel, parable, epistle, and apocalyptic do not communicate in exactly the same way.
Do this
- Identify the genre of the unit, and note if it contains mixed forms such as poetry inside narrative or OT quotation inside epistle.
- Ask what this genre requires you to observe: plot, argument, parallelism, command, promise, symbol, imagery, or discourse.
- Name one common mistake to avoid for this genre.
- Apply the genre rule before doing word study or theology synthesis.
- Record how the genre changes the way you interpret the passage.
Examples
- Parable: do not force every detail into a separate doctrine; look for the occasion, audience, main point, and demanded response.
- Poetry: do not flatten images into literal prose; ask how the parallel lines and imagery communicate.
Quality check
A good genre note changes how you read the passage. It is not merely a label.
Where this fits in the study flow
This lesson belongs to workspace stage 13. Complete the earlier observation and context work before this step, then carry the results forward into the later interpretation, application, source-checking, and teaching stages.