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*The Maid of the Hamlet*
	(Review / *The Maid of the Hamlet. A Tale, by Regina Maria Roche*)
	Monthly Review, August 1794
	New Series, vol. 14

There are two distinct classes of novels; the first comprehending such as only exhibit a fictitious story as a convenient vehicle for the communication of the writer’s sentiments on various topics; the second including all such tales as have for their ultimate object those immediate impressions, which are produced by a wonderful or affecting tale. To the former class, which is certainly far superior in merit and utility, the present novel does not belong. It affords little reason to suppose that the author’s reading has extended far beyond the novelist’s circulating library, and will contribute little toward augmenting the reader’s acquaintance either with men or things. The tale is, [466] however, amusing; the incidents are sufficiently romantic to keep up the reader's attention; and the sentiments and language, if not highly refined, are not unnatural. The performance, on the whole, is therefore above contempt.