A roman à clef is a work of fiction that hides a little secret, often referring to real people or events. Examples predate the novel in Europe and include Japanese pillow books. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was a popular form and used satire to criticize social institutions. Some novels are partly autobiographical and used to change things in an author’s life. The genre also occurs in cinema and music. Sometimes an author denies aspects of a book are autobiographical, but private experiences can leak into books without authorial intent.
Roman à clef translates as “novel with a key”. A novel written in this style refers to a work of fiction that hides a little secret. It could be a satire on real people such as political figures or celebrities, which actually serves as an autobiography or semi-autobiographical novel. Roman à clef can also be used to completely insult and disparage someone else’s character, but as this is “fiction” the author avoids charges of defamation.
There are examples of the roman à clef that predate the advent of the novel in Europe. It is interesting to see, for example, Dante’s verse work, The Divine Comedy, as it places the key political figures of his time in Hell. However, since this is fictitious, it doesn’t actually defame these characters. To understand the full weight of Dante’s accusations, you would have to understand a lot about 14th-century Italian politics.
Other examples of roman à clef predate most European verse. Some of the earliest novels ever written in the 10th and 11th centuries, Japanese pillow books, and especially Lady Murasaki’s The Tale of Genji, which is often considered the first novel ever composed, depict court life and draw on real characters for the ‘inspiration. Lady Murasaki’s novel, at least in part, accurately depicts court life through the novels and tales of Prince Genji, and many scholars have argued that much of the book’s material is partly autobiographical.
When the true European novel took shape in the early 17th century, roman à clef was an early recognized style. The novels depicted French nobles and the French court, particularly those of Madeleine de Scudery. In the 18th century, the roman à clef was a popular form and authors, at least in part, used satire in their works, both to criticize people and social institutions. Henry Fielding’s 17 novel Tom Jones is rich in satire and criticizes virtually every social convention of the English middle class and the form of the novel in general.
In the 19th century many novels were partly autobiographical. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre references her time at a charity school similar to the one Jane attends. Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield has distinct references to the life of Dickens. Even the name, David Copperfield and his initials DC, are the reverse of Dickens’ initials, CD. Dickens’ work brings out an interesting aspect of the roman à clef. Some novels, although based primarily on an author’s life, are used by the author to change things in his or her life. Dickens’ work clearly does this, detailing his marriage to Dora, who was modeled on Dickens’ sister-in-law, for whom he harbored a passion, and also making references with the same character to how unhappy she was in her marriage, which later ended in divorce.
A roman à clef need not refer to the current time period. Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind, while one of the most popular books ever written, is seen by many as a sharp defense of slavery. Written from a Southern perspective, some of Mitchell’s criticisms hit home, especially those dealing with how Northerners were sometimes afraid or uninterested in employing former slaves, and that Reconstruction efforts in the South were exploitative for former slaves. However, Mitchell contrasts this with the “kinder, kinder” relationship between master and slave, which deserves some scrutiny.
Other books that fall into this genre include Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, the 1990s novel Primary Colors, which describes and satirizes Clinton’s presidential campaign, and the 2003 novel The Devil Wears Prada, which references the editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour. Roman à clef also occurs in cinema and music. Rapper Eminem’s lyrics, for example, are significantly autobiographical. Writer and music artist Sting satirizes the song St. Augustine in Hell and places popes, cardinals, lawyers, and music critics as residents of hell.
Sometimes an author denies that aspects of a book are autobiographical. JRR Tolkien, for example, has fervently argued that the battle scenes in The Lord of the Rings were not based on his experiences as a soldier. There is significant evidence from other Tolkien writings that this is not the case, but an author may not always realize that he has written a roman à clef. Private experiences have a way of leaking into books without authorial intent.
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