The Always Present World of FictionBy convention, one writes as
though the events of a poem, play, novel, or story are taking place in the
present. (The following explanation is adapted from Guidelines for Writing an Expository Essay [1]
We write about literature in present tense: - Not: At
the end of the story, Zaroff died a well-deserved death.
- But: Zaroff dies a well-deserved death
The logic here is that the work exists in the present; it lives every
time someone reads or rereads it.
When we turn to
the beginning of “The Most Dangerous Game,” Zaroff is alive once more.
Actually, when we analyze any work, we should write in present tense:
“Plato states in The Republic,” “Freud points out in Interpretation
of Dreams,” “L’Engle writes in A Circle of Quiet,” and so on.
(Of course when we are writing from an historical point of view, we use past
tense: “Connell first copyrighted his story in 1924.”) The stumbling block for most inexperienced writers when they write in
present tense is telling about an event that precedes another.
Employing the helping verb have removes the obstacle:- Surely Zaroff is surprised to find Rainsford in
his bedroom—for he believes that his prey has drowned.
There are a couple of exceptions to the convention of writing about
literature in present tense: - We use past tense in referring to events that
occurred before the work of fiction begins:
- Zaroff mentions that he fled during
the Revolution.
- We use past tense in writing an indirect
quotation if, in direct form, the verb would be in past tense:
- At the end of “The Most Dangerous Game,”
Rainsford tells Zaroff that he swam to the chateau: “I found it quicker than walking through the jungle” (26).
- Rainsford tells Zaroff that he found swimming to
the chateau quicker than walking.
[1] Stover, Jim. Guidelines for Writing an Expository
Essay. 2001-2002. 25 May 2006 <http://baylor.chattanooga.net/~jstover/coursemat/II/exposessay.htm>;
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