When literature was invented in episodes

Following on from previous texts where I wanted to discuss the division of comics into well-known magazines and then their current evolution linked to new methods of distribution.

Today I would like to talk about the practice of splitting that was once applied to literary works (including great novels that later became classics) through what was called the serial novel, a form of publication in episodes in widely circulated newspapers, magazines and even booklets, which captivated millions of readers. In this context, we found notions that are now familiar to us: As with the comics we talked about, daily or weekly suspense: each episode often ended with an expectation or a twist, encouraging readers to buy the next newspaper to "find out what happens next": we would call this nowadays a concern for... loyalty! In addition, even if it is not directly our subject, it should be noted that this "journalistic" format allowed the working classes to access literature as part of a general trend towards democratization...

We have forgotten, for example, that Victor Hugo published some of his novels in serial form! The famous Les Misérables was published in several "episodes" in the form of booklets, like a serial, but in a more prestigious setting than a daily newspaper, which corresponded to the author's concern... Gustave Flaubert, despite his reluctance with regard to this process, accepted that Madame Bovary be published in serial form, but in La revue de Paris, a guarantee in his eyes of greater seriousness... Guy de Maupassant, for his part, made extensive use of the press, but mainly for his "short stories", therefore short, and not his novels. He published hundreds of short stories in famous newspapers of his time. His novels, such as Une vie, Bel-Ami or Pierre et Jean (1888) were sometimes pre-published in serial form. Maupassant perfectly mastered the rhythm of the serial, with twists and incisive portraits, but he remained fundamentally attached to a literary form more sober than the sensationalist serial novel.

Outside France, the most striking example is that of the great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Major novels such as Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Possessed and The Brothers Karamazov were all published in serial form in various Russian magazines. This author thus aimed to reach a wide audience, especially since, being frequently in financial difficulty, he needed to quickly obtain the income he needed...

Article written by Jean-Marie Sanjorge

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