Francis Lathom

Francis Lathom. The Midnight Bell. A German Story, Founded on Incidents in Real Life

London:  H. D. Symonds, 1798.

Contemporary Reviews

The Critical Review, 1798
"As this novel has no prefatory address, we know not whether it is a translation from the German, or an original work; but we are inclined to think that the latter description is more applicable to it. The serious incidents are founded on the passion of jealousy; the concomitant circumstances of ghosts, murders, midnight bells, &c. are introduced with the usual mysterious apparatus; and the story will not be the less relined because not very probable. The contradictory the story may be in its progress, provided they can make all plain and evident at the conclusion; but, indeed they do not always attend even to this point."

The Monthly Magazine, 1798
""The Midnight Bell" is the production of Mr. Francis Latham, a gentleman who has before employed himself in this species of composition. Mr. L. has a talent for invention, which, however, is not under sufficiently strict discipline: were the delineation of character an object of greater attention with him, he would avoid that intricacy of plot, that hurry and confusion of incident, which rather perplex than interest his readers. The Midnight Bell is said to be a German story; if so, Mr. L. is, of course, exonerated from any error which may attach to the original.

-- Prepared by Greg Schwanke, University of Nebraska, April 2006.
© Greg Schwanke, 2006.