Writing About Literature in Present Tense

Writing about literature requires editing for present tense verbs.

by Shawn Hassen

Students invariably struggle to remember that writing about literature requires present tense verbs. Historic events are written in past tense, but the events happening within the pages of literature are present tense. Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This was a historic event that happened in the past, so we write about it with past tense verbs. Huck Finn, however, is a character within the pages of the novel. Huck travels with Jim as they both flee the dangers of society.  

One trick to helping students remember this is to have them envision the literature as alive and happening for the first time each time they read the piece. Every time I read Catcher in the Rye, Holden is (not was) expelled from school. The literature is alive and present with each reading.

Older writers will eventually have to recognize nuances to this analogy. When we are writing about the author, for instance, will we always use past tense because he or she was a historic figure? No, not always—it depends upon the context. Note the following examples:

Salinger created Holden to challenge social constructs.

Salinger creates Holden with contradictions.

In the first example, the context implies a discussion of Salinger, the historic figure, writing a novel with a historic purpose. He was a writer, and he wrote this novel with specific intentions. The second example suggests a discussion of the literature, itself. Holden is a character in the novel, and he demonstrates contradictions in his personality. In this second example, the mention of Salinger is more of an introductory element, and the focus of the sentence is the literature, itself (which is alive and present).

While there will eventually be a need for advanced writers to split the occasional hair, beginning writers can usually find success with the basic mantra: history was past, literature is present.