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Roman à clef (French pronunciation: [ʁɔmɑ̃n‿a kle], anglicised as /roʊˌmɒn ə ˈkleɪ/),^[1] French for novel with a key, is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction.^[2] The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction.^[3] This metaphorical key may be produced separately—typically as an explicit guide to the text by the author—or implied, through the use of epigraphs or other literary techniques.^[4]

Madeleine de Scudéry created the roman à clef in the 17th century to provide a forum for her thinly veiled fiction featuring political and public figures.^[4]

The reasons an author might choose the roman à clef format include satire; writing about controversial topics; 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; the ability to change the background and personalities of key participants; and the settling of scores.^{[citation needed]}

Biographically inspired works have also appeared in other literary genres and art forms, notably the film à clef.^[5]

Notes

^ "Definition of ROMAN À CLEF". www.merriam-webster.com.
^ Serafin, Steven R.; Bendixen, Alfred (1 September 2005). The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature. A&C Black. p. 525. ISBN 978-0-8264-1777-0.
^ Ousby, Ian (23 February 1996). The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-43627-4.
^ ^a ^b Boyde, Melissa (1 November 2009). "The Modernist *roman à clef* and Cultural Secrets, or, I Know that You Know that I Know that You Know". Australian Literary Studies. doi:10.20314/als.dfae519805. ISSN 0004-9697.
^ "Films à clef - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies | Library of Congress, from LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov. Retrieved 23 November 2024.

References

Amos, William (1985). The Originals: Who's Really Who in Fiction. London: Cape. ISBN 0-7221-1069-3.
Busby, Brian (2003). Character Parts: Who's Really Who in CanLit. Toronto: Knopf Canada. ISBN 0-676-97579-8.
Rintoul, M.C. (2014). Dictionary of Real People and Places in Fiction

[1] "Definition of ROMAN À CLEF". www.merriam-webster.com.

[2] Serafin, Steven R.; Bendixen, Alfred (1 September 2005). The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature. A&C Black. p. 525. ISBN 978-0-8264-1777-0.

[3] Ousby, Ian (23 February 1996). The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-43627-4.

[ro.uow.edu.au-4] Boyde, Melissa (1 November 2009). "The Modernist *roman à clef* and Cultural Secrets, or, I Know that You Know that I Know that You Know". Australian Literary Studies. doi:10.20314/als.dfae519805. ISSN 0004-9697.

[5] "Films à clef - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies | Library of Congress, from LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov. Retrieved 23 November 2024.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Short description|Literary genre}}
-{{More footnotes|date=March 2020}}
 {{Italic title}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
-[[File:Key to Manley Atalantis 1713.png|thumb|200px|Key to vol. 2 of [[Delarivier Manley]]'s ''[[The New Atalantis]]'' (1709)]]
-'''''Roman à clef''''' ({{IPA-fr|ʁɔmɑ̃ a kle}}, <small>[[anglicisation#anglicisation of loan words|anglicised]] as</small> {{IPAc-en|r|oU|,|m|Q|n|_|@|_|'|k|l|eI}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roman%20%C3%A0%20clef|title=Roman à clef - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary}}</ref> [[French language|French]] for ''novel with a key'', is a [[novel]] about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of [[fiction]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=OVRHUusi38kC&pg=PA525&dq=roman+%C3%A0+clef+faction&lr=&ei=glETS4fKLKWkyAT8pLSKDQ#v=onepage&q=&f=false "The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature", By Steven R. Serafin, Alfred Bendixen, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005], {{ISBN|0-8264-1777-9}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8264-1777-0}}, p. 525</ref> The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the [[nonfiction]] and the [[fiction]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=43oBE1nJXaMC&dq=roman+a+clef+literature&source=gbs_navlinks_s "Cambridge paperback guide to literature in English" by Ian Ousby, Cambridge University Press, 1996]</ref> This metaphorical key may be produced separately—typically as an explicit guide to the text by the [[author]]—or implied, through the use of [[epigraph (literature)|epigraphs]] or other [[literary technique]]s.<ref name="ro.uow.edu.au">[http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1226&context=artspapers 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]</ref>
+[[File:Key to Manley Atalantis 1713.png|thumb|Key to vol. 2 of [[Delarivier Manley]]'s ''[[The New Atalantis]]'' (1709)]]
-[[Madeleine de Scudéry]] created the ''roman à clef'' in the 17th century to provide a forum for her thinly veiled fiction featuring political and public figures.<ref name="ro.uow.edu.au"/>
+'''''Roman à clef''''' ({{IPA|fr|ʁɔmɑ̃n‿a kle}}, <small>[[anglicisation#anglicisation of loan words|anglicised]] as</small> {{IPAc-en|r|oU|,|m|Q|n|_|@|_|'|k|l|eI}}),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roman+%C3%A0+clef|title=Definition of ROMAN À CLEF|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref> French for ''novel with a key'', is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Serafin |first1=Steven R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OVRHUusi38kC&dq=roman+%25C3%25A0+clef+faction&pg=PA525
-The reasons an author might choose the ''roman à clef'' format include [[satire]]; writing about controversial topics and/or reporting inside information on [[scandal]]s 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; the ability to change the background and personalities of key participants; and the settling of scores.
+| page = 525
+ |title=The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature |last2=Bendixen |first2=Alfred |date=1 September 2005 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-8264-1777-0 |language=en}}</ref> The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ousby |first=Ian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=43oBE1nJXaMC&q=roman+a+clef+literature
+ |title=The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Literature in English |date=23 February 1996 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-43627-4 |language=en}}</ref> This metaphorical key may be produced separately—typically as an explicit guide to the text by the author—or implied, through the use of [[epigraph (literature)|epigraphs]] or other [[literary technique]]s.<ref name="ro.uow.edu.au">{{Cite journal |last=Boyde |first=Melissa |date=2009-11-01 |title=The Modernist *roman à clef* and Cultural Secrets, or, I Know that You Know that I Know that You Know |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.20314/als.dfae519805 |journal=Australian Literary Studies |doi=10.20314/als.dfae519805 |issn=0004-9697}}</ref>
+[[Madeleine de Scudéry]] created the ''roman à clef'' in the 17th century to provide a forum for her thinly veiled fiction featuring political and public figures.<ref name="ro.uow.edu.au" />
-Biographically inspired works have also appeared in other literary genres and art forms, notably the ''[[film à clef]]''.
+The reasons an author might choose the ''roman à clef'' format include satire; writing about controversial topics; reporting inside information on [[scandal]]s 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; the ability to change the background and personalities of key participants; and the settling of scores.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
-==See also==
+Biographically inspired works have also appeared in other literary genres and art forms, notably the {{Lang|fr|[[film à clef]]}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Films à clef - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies {{!}} Library of Congress, from LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress) |url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/genreForms/gf2016026012.html |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=id.loc.gov}}</ref>
+== See also ==
 {{Portal|Novels}}
+{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
 * [[Allegory]]
-* [[Autofiction]]
 * [[Autobiografiction]]
 * [[Autobiographical novel]]
+* [[Autofiction]]
 * [[Blind item]]
 * [[Creative nonfiction]]
 * [[Defamation]]
+* [[Gonzo journalism]]
 * [[List of narrative techniques]]
+* [[Nomen à clef]]
 * [[Non-fiction novel]]
 * [[Semi-fiction]]
 * [[Small penis rule]]
+* [[Self-insertion]]
+* [[Author surrogate]]
+* [[Tuckerization]]
+{{div col end}}
-==Notes==
+== Notes ==
 {{Reflist}}
-==References==
+== References ==
 * Amos, William (1985). ''The Originals: Who's Really Who in Fiction''. London: Cape. {{ISBN|0-7221-1069-3}}.
 * [[Brian Busby|Busby, Brian]] (2003). ''Character Parts: Who's Really Who in [[Canadian literature|CanLit]]''. Toronto: Knopf Canada. {{ISBN|0-676-97579-8}}.
-* Rintoul, M.C. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=OxcCAwAAQBAJ&pg Dictionary of Real People and Places in Fiction]'' (2014)
+* Rintoul, M.C. (2014). ''Dictionary of Real People and Places in Fiction''
 {{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Roman A Clef}}
 [[Category:Roman à clef novels| ]]
 [[Category:Biographical novels| ]]