You've touched on my favorite Dostoevsky anecdote! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21152240.

A lot of 19th century novels were published as serials. The TV of their time I suppose.

With the final installment arriving by ship, crowds in New York shouted from the pier "Is Little Nell dead?" - https://www.charlesdickenspage.com/charles-dickens-old-curio...