Roman à clef: Difference between revisions
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* Amos, William (1985). ''The Originals: Who's Really Who in Fiction''. London: Cape. {{ISBN|0-7221-1069-3}}. |
* Amos, William (1985). ''The Originals: Who's Really Who in Fiction''. London: Cape. {{ISBN|0-7221-1069-3}}. |
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* [[Brian Busby|Busby, Brian]] (2003). ''Character Parts: Who's Really Who in [[Canadian literature|CanLit]]''. Toronto: Knopf Canada. {{ISBN|0-676-97579-8}}. |
* [[Brian Busby|Busby, Brian]] (2003). ''Character Parts: Who's Really Who in [[Canadian literature|CanLit]]''. Toronto: Knopf Canada. {{ISBN|0-676-97579-8}}. |
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* Rintoul, M.C. (2014) ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=OxcCAwAAQBAJ&pg Dictionary of Real People and Places in Fiction]'' |
* Rintoul, M.C. (2014). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=OxcCAwAAQBAJ&pg Dictionary of Real People and Places in Fiction]'' |
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Revision as of 09:51, 13 May 2022
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2020) |
Roman à clef (French pronunciation: [ʁɔmɑ̃ 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 nonfiction 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 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; the ability to change the background and personalities of key participants; and the settling of scores.
Biographically inspired works have also appeared in other literary genres and art forms, notably the film à clef.
See also
- Allegory
- Autofiction
- Autobiografiction
- Autobiographical novel
- Blind item
- Creative nonfiction
- Defamation
- List of narrative techniques
- Non-fiction novel
- Semi-fiction
- Small penis rule
Notes
- ^ "Roman à clef - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary".
- ^ "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
- ^ "Cambridge paperback guide to literature in English" by Ian Ousby, Cambridge University Press, 1996
- ^ a b 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
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
