Thank you for your comment. Based on what you describe, it almost sounds like badges would be a good fit for you. There's definitely some set up required and it would require some time on your part., but it would give you flexibility in how you present course milestones to students.It would also be an option in motivating the students you already know are struggling.
Since you are teaching literature courses, you could also potentially use graded or ungraded surveys to signal to students where the check points are in the course. These surveys may also provide quick opportunities for reflection on the course itself. They wouldn't have to be particularly long - just a question or two would be enough.
Those are just the thoughts off the top of my head.