roman à clef
noun
a novel that represents historical events and characters under the guise of fiction.
romans à clef
-
pluralof roman à clef.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This record further emphasizes her leap away from autobiography into songs that are either pure fictions or else lyrically symbolic in ways that don’t act as romans à clef.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2020
She added that “The Love Machine” was “not exactly a literary work. But in its own little sub-category of popularly written romans à clef, it shines, like a rhinestone in a trash can.”
From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2019
In bookstores there was a boomlet in rakishly intelligent literary romans à clef.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2017
That “lunacy” is evidenced, for example, by Hester’s efforts to make romantic romans à clef out of Murdoch’s books.
From The New Yorker ● May 10, 2016
She in turn had derived her method from the French romans à clef or romances in which contemporary scandal was reported in a fictitious disguise.
From The Life and Romances of Mrs. Eliza Haywood by George Frisbie Whicher
