Although I was inoculated against Dickens at school, and have never been tempted to pick up a Dicken since, I think it is customary to assert that he was paid by the word for regular instalments, which is why his style is so turgid and prolix with one interesting or intendedly exciting bit every so often, just as the end of an instalment arrives, so that readers would return the following week/month/whatever.

I cannot understand why anyone reads his stuff.