attackfish

I think if you're a fan of a specific genre, it can't hurt to educate yourself in the foundations of that genre and the ensuing responses to those "founding visions" (for lack of a better phrase). For example, knowing about the racist streak in H.P. Lovecraft's writing helps to give new perspective to modern cosmic horror stories like Elizabeth Bear's Shoggoths In Bloom (http://www.elizabethbear.com/shoggoths.html).