"What is a Climax?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

What is the climax of a story? What are some examples of climaxes in literature? Why are climaxes important in literary essays?

In this short lesson, Professor Raymond Malewitz answers these questions through an extended reading of Yiyun Li's "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers." The video is designed to help high school and college English students identify and analyze climaxes within and beyond their literature classes.

Spanish subtitles are now available for this video. To access these subtitles, click on the settings icon in the video.

The video is sponsored by the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University. For more discussions of literary topics and essay writing tips, please subscribe to the free SWLF YouTube Channel or visit https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction and Definition
0:38 Why are climaxes important?
1:08 Importance #1: Spotting Themes
7:07 Importance #2: Enables Re-Reading