In the study of language and persuasive speaking, the historical present, also known as the dramatic present or narrative present, is a method of using the present tense to describe events that happened in the past. This technique is sometimes referred to as the "literary present tense." It helps make the story feel more exciting or important by making events seem as if they are happening now, and by drawing attention to specific parts of the story.
Examples
In a part of Charles Dickens's David Copperfield, the change from past tense to historical present creates a feeling that events are happening now, like a vision that keeps returning:
If the funeral had been yesterday, I could not remember it better. The air in the best room when I entered, the fire burning brightly, the wine shining in the decanters, the designs on the glasses and plates, the faint sweet smell of cake, the smell of Miss Murdstone's dress, and our black clothes. Mr. Chillip is in the room and comes to speak to me.
"Kindly, he asks, 'How is Master David?'"
I cannot tell him well. I give him my hand, which he holds.
— Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, Chapter IX
Standard past tense: William the Conqueror traveled to England with his army of Normans and defeated King Harold at Hastings.
Historical present: In 1066, William the Conqueror travels to England with his army of Normans and defeats King Harold at Hastings.
Novels that are written entirely in the historical present include John Updike's Rabbit, Run, Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.
In describing fiction
Summaries of stories are usually written in the present tense, not the past tense. At each moment in a story, there is a current time, which means events can be described as past, present, or future depending on where you are in the story. The entire summary is written as if the story’s current time is happening right now. For example, when describing the plot of A Tale of Two Cities, you might write:
Manette is obsessed with making shoes, a skill he learned while in prison.
In other languages
The historical present is often used when writing about history in Latin, where it is sometimes called by its Latin name, praesens historicum. In French, this method is frequently used in news writing and historical texts to describe past events. The extinct language Shasta seemed to allow the use of the historical present in stories. The New Testament, written in Koine Greek during the 1st century AD, is known for using the historical present, especially in the Gospel of Mark.