Anticlimax and paradox

Anticlimax and paradox.
An anticlimax occurs when the author builds a reader’s expectations. Then, they fail to fulfill them in some fundamental way.
Through various literary devices, the reader is led to believe that something exciting or pivotal to the plot is about to happen. Then, at the exact moment when the story should be at its most exciting, it disappoints. The story might devolve into something trivial or into a plot line that doesn’t make any sense. What should’ve been the climax might end up being boring or even non-existent. The word “anticlimax” can be used in two different ways. First, to refer to the story’s overall plot, and second to describe one of what could be numerous anti-climactic moments in a story. This kind of anticlimax could occur anywhere.
So, there are two types of anti-climax. The first is used in narrations, such as the anti-climax about the overall plot of the story. The second one is a figure of speech, which might occur anywhere in the story.
Examples of Anti-Climax in Literature
In literature, there are lots of examples of anti-climax, whether narrative or as a figure of speech. Let us consider a few of them:
Example #1: The Rape of the Lock (By Alexander Pope)
“Here thou, great Anna, whom three realms obey,
Dost sometimes counsel take, and sometimes tea…”
In the extract, it is used as a figure of speech. Pope is drawing the attention of readers to the falseness. Anna is Queen of England, who holds meetings, and indulges also in afternoon tea customs. Ludicrous effect is created by using the anti-climax.
Example #2: The Deserted House (By ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Alfred Lord Tennyson)
“Come away: for Life and Thought
Here no longer dwell;
But in a city glorious—
A great and distant city—have bought
A mansion incorruptible.
Would they could have stayed with us.”
Here, the last line of poem presents anti-climax, as the poet is describing issues associated with life on Earth. Here, heaven is referred as “city glorious.” He asks whether people could come and live in heaven, which is a change in discourse from an important note to trivial.
Anticlimax or Bathos?
These two literary devices are sometimes compared to one another. Bathos is defined as a sudden, jolting change in the tone of a work. This could occur in a poem, play, story, or film. This relates to the anticlimax in that everything is on track and appears to be playing out as one would expect, and then something changes. This jolting change, which takes the reader from excitement to disappointment, is the anticlimax. Again, like anti-climax, it can be used accidentally and on purpose.
Her hair was finely curled, her cheeks were lined with rouge, and her dress was a flowing green and blue which made her look rather like a tired, old peacock.

The previous sentence is an example of bathos: an abrupt turn from the serious and poetic to the regular and silly. Rather than likening the woman to a beautiful bird, she is compared, surprisingly, to a tired, old peacock.

Paradox.
A paradox is a statement that appears at first to be contradictory, but upon reflection then makes sense. This literary device is commonly used to engage a reader to discover an underlying logic in a seemingly self-contradictory statement or phrase. As a result, paradox allows readers to understand concepts in a different and even non-traditional way.
For example, playwright George Bernard Shaw famously stated the paradox that “youth is wasted on the young.” At first, it is contradictory in the sense that the “young” are the ones that embody “youth,” so therefore it cannot be “wasted” on them. However, this paradox makes sense upon reflection. It illuminates the idea that young people may not have the perspective of older people as far as what is truly important or valuable.
Youth, in this case, implies a vibrancy and energy that can be put towards those very actions that are important and valuable, yet young people may not recognize what they are. Whereas older people, who may recognize which actions have importance or value, often don’t feel such vitality or willingness to take risks to do them. As a result, the very group who would benefit from youth due to their perspective are the ones who, by definition, aren’t youthful.

Common Examples of Paradox

• 
  less is more
  
• 
  do the thing you think you cannot do
  
• 
  you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t
  
• 
  the enemy of my enemy is my friend
  
• 
  the beginning of the end
  

Examples of Paradox in Movies

• 
  “If everyone is special, no one is.” (Disney’s The Incredibles)
  
• 
  “The first rule about fight club is you don’t talk about fight club. The second rule about fight club is you don’t talk about fight club.” (Fight Club)
  
• 
  “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” (The Godfather)
  
• 
  “Me, I always tell the truth. Even when I lie.” (Scarface)
  

Famous Examples of Paradox
Paradox is also found in many examples of poetry, prose, drama, lyrics, and clever quotations. Here are some famous examples of paradox:

• 
  “I know one thing, that I know nothing” (Socrates, as according to Plato)
  
• 
  “It’s weird not to be weird” (John Lennon)
  
• 
  “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” (Animal Farm by George Orwell)