thumb|Key to vol. 2 of [[Delarivier Manley's The New Atalantis (1709)]]
A ( ; ; ) is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction. 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.
Madeleine de Scudéry created the in the 17th century to provide a forum for her thinly-veiled fiction featuring political and public figures. English-language examples include The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (1926), Wigs on the Green by Nancy Mitford (1935), The Bell Jar (1963) by Sylvia Plath, and The Devil Wears Prada (2003) by Lauren Weisberger.
See also
- Allegory
- All persons fictitious disclaimer
- Author surrogate
- Autobiografiction
- Autobiographical novel
- Autofiction
- Blind item
- Creative nonfiction
- Defamation
- Gonzo journalism
- Historical fiction
- List of narrative techniques
- Non-fiction novel
- Real person fiction
- Semi-fiction
- Small penis rule
- Self-insertion
- Tuckerization
Notes
References
- Amos, William (1985). The Originals: Who's Really Who in Fiction. London: Cape. .
- Busby, Brian (2003). Character Parts: Who's Really Who in CanLit. Toronto: Knopf Canada. .
- Rintoul, M. C. (2014). Dictionary of Real People and Places in Fiction.