How to Write an Active Vs Passive Voice for English Literature

In English Literature, the choice between active and passive voice determines the strength of your critical argument and the clarity of your close readings. While literary scholars favor the active voice to attribute agency to authors and characters, the passive voice remains a strategic tool for discussing historical reception and theoretical frameworks.

What Is an Active Vs Passive Voice in English Literature?

Active voice occurs when the subject of your sentence performs the action, which is essential for asserting a clear thesis in literary criticism. Passive voice occurs when the subject receives the action; in English Literature, this is often used when the 'doer' is unknown or less important than the text itself, such as when describing how a manuscript was preserved or how a trope was popularized over centuries.

Before You Start

• Identify the primary agent of your sentence: Is it the author, a character, a specific literary device, or the reader?
• Review your thesis statement to ensure it makes a bold claim using a strong, active verb.
• Check your style guide requirements, such as MLA, which generally discourages excessive passive constructions in humanities writing.
• Differentiate between the 'literary present' (active) and historical context (often passive).

Assign Agency to the Author

When discussing intentionality or stylistic choices, use the active voice to place the writer at the center of the creative process. This clarifies who is responsible for the narrative shifts or thematic developments.

Example: Active: 'Toni Morrison employs a non-linear narrative in Beloved to mirror the fragmented trauma of her characters.'

Tip: Avoid 'The narrative is employed by Morrison,' as it weakens the impact of the author's craft.

Use Active Voice for Character Analysis

Describe character actions and motivations directly to show a clear understanding of their development and agency within the plot.

Example: Active: 'Hamlet contemplates the futility of existence in his third soliloquy.'

Tip: Passive voice like 'Futility is contemplated by Hamlet' makes the character seem like a bystander in their own story.

Animate Literary Devices

Treat metaphors, symbols, and motifs as active participants in the text's meaning-making process.

Example: Active: 'The green light in The Great Gatsby symbolizes Gatsby's unattainable American Dream.'

Tip: Using active verbs for inanimate devices makes your literary analysis feel more dynamic and persuasive.

Apply Passive Voice for Historical Reception

Use passive voice when the focus is on how a work was received by the public or critics, where the specific 'receivers' are a generalized group.

Example: Passive: 'Lyrical Ballads was initially met with mixed reviews by contemporary critics.'

Tip: This is appropriate because the 'mixed reviews' are the focus, not the individual anonymous critics.

Utilize Passive Voice for Theoretical Frameworks

When applying a broad theory where the specific originator isn't the primary focus of the sentence, the passive voice can shift emphasis to the concept.

Example: Passive: 'The text can be interpreted through a Foucauldian lens of power dynamics.'

Tip: This keeps the focus on the 'text' rather than the critic performing the interpretation.

Refine the 'Literary Present' with Active Verbs

Since literary works exist in a perpetual present, use active present-tense verbs to describe the action within the pages.

Example: Active: 'Jane Eyre refuses Rochester's proposal to maintain her moral integrity.'

Tip: Active voice prevents your plot summary from sounding like a dry historical report.

Clarify Complex Syntax in Post-Colonial or Feminist Theory

When discussing power structures, active voice helps identify who is exerting power over whom, which is crucial for political readings.

Example: Active: 'The colonial administration silences the indigenous voice through linguistic erasure.'

Tip: Passive voice can accidentally obscure the oppressor, which weakens a post-colonial critique.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using passive voice to hide a lack of evidence (e.g., 'It is said that Shakespeare wrote for the masses').
• Overusing 'there is' or 'there are' instead of identifying an active subject in the poem.
• Writing 'The poem is seen to be...' instead of 'The poem depicts...'
• Failing to attribute critical arguments to specific scholars by using 'It has been argued...'
• Using passive voice for plot points, which makes the narrative sound accidental rather than constructed.

Pro Tips

• Search your draft for 'by' phrases; these often signal a passive construction that could be stronger if flipped.
• Use active voice when engaging with secondary sources in the 'PMLA' or 'ELH' journals to show you are entering the scholarly conversation.
• Reserve passive voice for describing 'The Gothic' or 'The Romantic' as movements that influenced writers.
• Check that your 'Work Cited' page reflects the active agents you've credited in your analysis.
• Read your close reading aloud; if the subject of the sentence arrives too late, convert it to active voice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is passive voice ever acceptable in an English Literature essay?

Yes, it is acceptable when the actor is unknown or when you want to emphasize the object of an action, such as 'The manuscript was discovered in a local archive.' However, active voice should comprise at least 80% of your analysis.

How do I change 'The reader is shown' to active voice?

Identify what is doing the showing. Usually, it is the author or the text. Change it to: 'Dickens shows the reader' or 'The imagery reveals to the reader.'

Does using active voice make my essay sound too informal?

No, in literary studies, active voice actually makes your writing sound more authoritative and professional. It shows you are confident in your attribution of themes and techniques.

Should I use active voice for my thesis statement?

Absolutely. A thesis like 'This essay will explore...' is weaker than 'This analysis argues that...' or 'Milton redefines the epic hero by...'

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