Aesthetics of the Narrative Climax in Contemporary TV Serials

[EN] This article draws on concepts from cognitive psychology to explore the significance of the narrative climax, focusing on the final climax of the series The Americans as a case study. Two aspects of the aesthetic experience are considered: the special intensity that climaxes elicit, and the diversity of the cognitive content they generate, which can include both aesthetic and non-aesthetic properties. The climax is experienced in a state of absorption triggered by a set of strategies of temporal prolongation related to the main suspenseful moments and plotlines, to character engagement, and to the multiplot structure, involving the content of the narrative itself (narrative absorption) and the aesthetic qualities that define it (artifact absorption). The source of this absorption during the climax lies in the interplay between emotion and cognition in a temporal process that may last for a whole series. To demonstrate this idea, this study identifies key narrative comprehension processes, drawing on the explanatory potential of mental model theory to clarify the importance of memory and interrelated inferential processes. The aim of this research is to contribute to explanations of the role of the climax in serialized television and other artistic works. ; This article has undergone various phases of development, and I wish to thank a number of people who have helped me substantially with its development. First of all, my thanks to Ted Nannicelli for his reading and review of the article. I am also very grateful for the conversations with Maria Jose Alcaraz and Kathrin Fahlenbrach, and for the excellent work of the editors of this journal and the detailed suggestions I have received from the reviewers. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of all those colleagues who have provided me with feedback at diferent academic events where I have presented this research, especially the 2018 SCSMI Conference at Montana State University. Finally, I am very grateful to Martin Boyd for his work to improve the ...