TITLE:
Serial Reading as the Origin of Binge-Watching: From Print Culture to Digital Immersion
AUTHORS:
Gordana Tkalec
KEYWORDS:
Serial Reading, Binge-Watching, Narrative Engagement, Serialized Fiction, Audience Immersion
JOURNAL NAME:
Voice of the Publisher,
Vol.11 No.3,
September
10,
2025
ABSTRACT: This paper investigates the historical and cultural roots of binge-watching by tracing its origins to the 19th- and early 20th-century phenomenon of serial reading. While binge-watching is typically framed as a product of digital technologies and streaming platforms, this study argues that the practice of consuming stories in extended, immersive sessions has deep precedents in literary history—specifically in serialized print fiction. The widespread publication of novels in installments, made possible by technological advances in print production, laid the foundation for a form of narrative engagement that closely parallels today’s binge-viewing culture. By comparing the mechanisms of engagement in serial reading and binge-watching—such as narrative suspense, emotional investment, and episodic structure, this study identifies shared cognitive and affective dynamics. Both practices encourage sustained immersion, often within private, domestic settings, and provoke anticipation that drives continued consumption. The analysis draws on examples from 20th-century literature, including the work of Croatian author Marija Jurić Zagorka, whose serialized fiction attracted mass readership and commercial success despite critical disdain—a pattern also observed in contemporary television series. Ultimately, this study reframes binge-watching as part of a longer cultural tradition of serial consumption, demonstrating how the human desire for story, character, and continuity transcends media formats. Recognizing serial reading as a historical antecedent of binge-watching allows for a deeper understanding of narrative engagement across time and technology.