In many forums where I have participated, both general and specialized, including scholarly discussions, it is standard practice for the poster to alert readers when they plan to toss out the ending of the book, even if it is a classic. If a thread is discussing the whole thing, it is identified as such in the thread title. Some of the literature professors get a little ahead of themselves and assume others have read the book they're discussing, and inevitably someone else will come along and express disappointment at the end revealed.

If one picks up scholarly essays about books, one must assume that the entire work will be discussed, at length. Elsewhere, it is just good manners to not let the cat out of the bag.

SRS. MA, English, 1999.