For nearly 100 years novelists would release new works piece by piece. People became accustomed to waiting for next week’s installment. And then, serious novelists abandoned this practice in favor of releasing an entire book. Doubtless many objected, arguing that the frantic pace of the 19th century was ruining our ability to defer gratification.

Perhaps, just perhaps, there are far more important things in our world to be concerned about than ephemeral entertainments, whether released sequentially or otherwise…