Roman à clef

Roman à clef or roman à clé (French pronunciation: [ʁɔmɑ̃n‿a kle]), French for "novel with a key", is a phrase used to describe a novel about real life, overlaid with a façade of fiction.[1] The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the nonfiction and the fiction.[2] This "key" may be produced separately by the author, or implied through the use of epigraphs or other literary devices.[3]

Created by Madeleine de Scudery in the 17th century to provide a forum for her thinly veiled fiction featuring political and public figures,[4] roman à clef has since been used by writers as diverse as Victor Hugo, Phillip K. Dick, and Salman Rushdie.

The reasons an author might choose the roman à clef format include satire; writing about controversial topics and/or reporting inside information on scandals without giving rise to charges of libel; the opportunity to turn the tale the way the author would like it to have gone; the opportunity to portray personal, autobiographical experiences without having to expose the author as the subject; avoiding self-incrimination or incrimination of others that could be used as evidence in civil, criminal, or disciplinary proceedings; and the settling of scores.

Biographically inspired works have also appeared in other literary genres and art forms, notably the film à clef.

Contents

Notable romans à clef

Prose

Verse and drama

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature" By Steven R. Serafin, Alfred Bendixen, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005, ISBN 0-8264-1777-9, 9780826417770, pg. 525
  2. ^ "Cambridge paperback guide to literature in English" by Ian Ousby, Cambridge University Press, 1996
  3. ^ The Modernist roman à clef and Cultural Secrets, or I Know That You Know That I Know That You Know" by M. Boyde, University of Wollongong, 2009
  4. ^ The Modernist roman à clef and Cultural Secrets, or I Know That You Know That I Know That You Know" by M. Boyde, University of Wollongong, 2009
  5. ^ So I Don't Write About Heroes: An Interview with Philip K. Dick Uwe Anton, Werner Fuchs, Frank C. Bertrand, SF EYE #14, Spring 1996, pp. 37-46
  6. ^ "Prospero’s Tempestuous Family," by Maureen Dowd. In The New York Times, 11 October 2011.