Since I can't read Dutch, I've only been able to skim this with the help of Google Translate, and the topic tags are therefore not comprehensive. Here's a translation of part of the introduction:
In addition to conventionality and conformism, the authors of regional novels are accused, among other things, of superficiality, the concealment of reality and the cultivation of false feelings. It also highlights the formulaic nature of the books, the inevitable happy ending and simple storyline, which requires little effort from the reader. Indeed, regional novels often have a similar plot. In short, it goes like this: a rich farmer's daughter falls in love with a poor laborer (the other way around is also possible). One of the parents is against the union and makes life miserable for the young couple. Trials of all kinds are passed and misunderstandings are cleared away, but suffering purifies and in the end love conquers. The book ends with a scene in which the lovers promise each other eternal fidelity, or in which the early happiness is crowned in the form of the birth of a “heir to the tribe”. Of course, countless variations are possible, but it cannot be denied that regional novels have a fixed structure and theme. In these books a schematic world is sketched, in which evil is punished, virtue is rewarded and in which money is earned. (1-2)
Since I can't read Dutch, I've only been able to skim this with the help of Google Translate, and the topic tags are therefore not comprehensive. Here's a translation of part of the introduction: