How (and Why) Do I Write in Literary Present Tense?

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Literary works, paintings, films, and other artistic creations are assumed to exist in an eternal present. Therefore, when you write about writers or artists as they express themselves in their work, use the present tense.

Past or Present Tense? A Basic Guideline

You should use the past tense when discussing historical events, and you should use the literary present when discussing fictional events.

Context matters, though, so take a look through the more granular guidelines below and keep in mind that expectations and conventions around the tense we use to write about textual sources we are engaging or analyzing may differ between disciplines (for instance, in a history class you might be told to write about texts using past tense that you would be expected to discuss in the 鈥榣iterary present鈥� in an English class.).

Taking a Closer Look: Context-Based Guidelines

1. When commenting on what a writer says, use the present tense.
- Example: 鈥淒unn听begins听his work with a view into the lives and motivations of the very first settlers.鈥�
- Example: 鈥淭hrough this anecdote, Richter听illustrates听common misconceptions about native religion and听shows听why missionary attempts were less than successful.鈥�
2. When describing an author鈥檚 work, however, use the past tense.
- Example: 鈥淚n 1966, Driss Chra茂bi听published听La Civilisation, ma M猫re!鈥�
3. When you are writing about a certain historical event (even the creation of a literary or artistic work), use the past tense.
- Example: 鈥淗enry Fielding听wrote听in the eighteenth century.鈥�
- Example: 鈥淧icasso听produced听a series of sculptures.鈥�
4. When discussing events in a literary work (novel, story, play, or poem) always use the present tense, unless there is a shift in the time frame within the world of the text.
- Example: 鈥淓velyn then听rips听into the carefully wrapped package and听finds听the greatest gift she has ever received. Her eyes听fill听with tears as she听gazes听at the jewel, but Philip听does not know听that these tears are the results of more than surprised joy. Evelyn听is suffering听from guilt as she听compares听this present to the shoddy gift that she听bought*听for her beau.鈥�
*鈥�Bought鈥� is in past tense because the buying of the present occurred before the described set of events.
- Example: 鈥淚n Michelangelo鈥檚 painting, Christ听judges听the world.鈥�
- Example: 鈥淛ohnson鈥檚 characters听journey听to Cairo.鈥�
- Example: 鈥淧lato听argues听without much conviction.鈥�
- Example: 鈥淧aul听writes听about the hardships he has endured.鈥�
5. Sometimes a sentence must employ both present and past tense.
- Example: 鈥淭he first part of the poem, which she听completed听in 1804,听describes听the effects of isolation from society.鈥�
- Example: 鈥淎eschylus鈥� drama听is concerned听with what happens to Orestes after he听has killed听his mother.鈥�

Final Tips and Reminders

Remember: It is important to stay consistent.

Moving between verb tenses can be confusing for your reader. Examine your changes of tense very carefully and make sure there is a logical reason for them.
Style Tip: Keeping Sentence-Level Tense Shifts Manageable

If you need to shift tense more than three times in a single sentence, consider breaking up the sentence into a couple of shorter sentences to maintain reading ease.

Last revised: 8/10/2007 |听Adapted for web delivery: 07/2021

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