In 1836, Charles Dickens hooked the good people of England on a story about a traveling men’s group. Published over two years in 19 installments, The Pickwick Papers launched a craze for serialized fiction .

The trend found traction across the pond. Later in the 19th century, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, and F. Scott Fitzgerald all published novels in installments. Into the 20th, the episodic boomed again when serials from Isaac Bashevis Singer, James Joyce, and Armistead Maupin curried fans.

Now, the 21st century is picking up the torch.

Over at New York magazine, Emily Gould’s “Dinner Party” newsletter plays current host to a six-part story written by the novelist and critic Lauren Oyler. “The Hater” is a psychologically astute modern nightmare with an auto-fictional tinge.…