What tense do I use when writing about literature?
When reading a piece of literature, the event is happening in present time, regardless of when the literature or art was created.
When writing about literature always use the present tense.
Ex. In Paradise Lost Milton creates a luxurious Garden of Eden.
When you are writing about an historical event such as the creation of a piece of literature, use the past tense.
Ex. Milton wrote during the 17th century.
At times you may need to use both the present and the past tense when writing about literature.
Ex. Milton's second edition of Paradise Lost was written in 1674 and is English heroic verse without rhyme.[1]
- ↑ Milton, John. Paradise Lost, The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 1, Ninth Edition, New York, WW Norton & Company, 2012 p. 1945
Using present tense when writing about literature might seem counter-intuitive, since Milton did these things in the past, both in the sense of authorship and readership; however, literature, like any work of art, exists in the present, and the actions of that work do as well when writing about them or refer to them.