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Literature vocabulary · Genres and Forms

Roman à clef

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In literature, roman à clef means: A novel whose invented names conceal recognizable real people and events.

In Turkish: anahtarlı roman

How it is used

Use when readers can connect fictional figures to real people. The plural is romans à clef.

Example sentences

  1. Readers treated the roman à clef as a portrait of the writer's former literary circle.

    The invented characters were read as disguised members of a real group.

  2. The seminar asked what evidence supports calling this school novel a roman à clef.

    The label needs recognizable links to real people, not merely a realistic setting.

Common collocations

  • write a roman à clef
  • a political roman à clef
  • novelA long story written in prose that describes imaginary people and events, usually long enough to fill a whole book and to develop characters in detail.
  • fictionStories, such as novels and short stories, that describe imaginary events and people rather than real ones.

More terms: Genres and Forms

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