This is what Lisp/Scheme based languages use macros for -> to reduce boilerplate code. A lot of programmers hate DSL's, but using Python to generate test code is the same as using a DSL. The difference is, Python is a much bigger and more complicated DSL, than a test-macro will probably ever be.

There is nothing wrong with generating code in a pragmatic way. It is just strange to see all the time people using workarounds for things that a tiny DSL could probably solve better.