roman à clef: a novel in which actual persons, places, or events are depicted in fictional guise. (Dictionary.com)

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I love this word/phrase. It is pronounced rōmäN' ä klā'. What I love about it is that it is something that happens intentionally to some authors, and unintentionally to many, many others. My suspicion is that it is a surprise to many authors to discover that their novel is more autobiographical than they expected. When I first began to explore the realm of fictional writing I was told that when an author begins to write the themes are drawn from that which is most familiar. The comfort level with their own story is available and approachable, allowing the author (either consciously or unconsciously) to focus upon the act of writing without struggling to develop a story.

A...common type of roman à clef is one in which the disguised characters are easily recognized only by a few insiders, as in Simone de Beauvoir's The Mandarins (1954).(Encyclopedia Britannica Online)

Developing a story line is a far more complicated process than many might expect. For me, at least, it begins with a simple idea (sometimes a word) and begins to unfold as I write. Sometimes there is a skeleton of a story in my mind or in my notes. But many times the story evolves as I write. There comes a point where I have to know the ending in order to arrive there effectively. But that ending may change numerous times in the course of writing.

Back to roman à clef , however, the fictional story may begin with an actual experience, but there comes a point where it must vary in order to become the short story or novel it is intended to be. This is where a roman à clef differs from an autobiography. Just changing the names and disguising the location is not enough. A new element must be introduced into the story which changes the facts.

Gradually, as an author begins to emerge into his or her voice the need for autobiographical information diminishes and plot begins to develop independently. There is a rush when this happens. It is as if another part of the brain has been tapped. Personal experience is not lost, necessarily, but its role in the product is diminished and may only appear incidentally.

John Irving, the novelist, for instance, writes almost exclusively about New Hampshire. His prep school and certain character types are in almost every one of his novels. But, whereas his earlier novels were specifically about Exeter and specific people, in more recent novels they have become more or less references which are laced into the story in a less prominent way.

It occurs to me that roman à clef is not restricted to the writing of novels. Isn't it true that this is a characteristic of social conversation, as well? When we first meet a new friend, there is much talk about personal background. As the relationship progresses, new material emerges as the common bond. Personal experience is not lost, but its prominence is not as visible as jointly-experienced moments become of greater significance.


Dictionary source:The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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