In 1836 Charles Dickens launched a serialized craze with The Pickwick Papers, published in 19 installments over two years. The format later attracted Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and in the 20th century saw Isaac Bashevis Singer, James Joyce and Armistead Maupin publish episodic works.
Today the trend has been revived by digital newsletters. New York Magazine’s Emily Gould hosts a six‑part story by novelist and critic Lauren Oyler in her “Dinner Party” newsletter. The novella, titled The Hater, follows a Berlin‑dwelling writer named Lauren and her fixation on a frustrated academic turned book critic. Gould attributes the timing to nostalgia and the decline of newspapers rewarding readers with fiction.
Substack has become a fertile ground for serial fiction. John Pistelli’s Major Arcana was first serialized on his Substack before being picked up by Belt Publishing. Swedish writer Jörgen Löwenfeldt invites readers to vote on the direction of his serial, turning it into a choose‑your‑own‑adventure style experience.
These modern serials echo 19th‑century conditions: a marketplace that rewards “more, and faster,” and readers with limited downtime who appreciate digestible installments. The subscription model encourages excess and keeps readers coming back for the next chapter.