A Study of the Locked Novel

It is to the Empire's loss that Altmer authorities continue to deny access to the historical records of Summerset Isle. The ancient texts contained therein are almost certainly invaluable to Tamrielic history, and could elucidate the cultural origins of both man and mer. Regardless, the lords of Summerset Isle show no sign of budging on this matter.

While Altmer academic literature is beyond the reach of our scholars, the same cannot be said for their popular literature, which can be found in diaspora communities all across Tamriel. Though such texts do not pretend to discuss historical or social fact, they nonetheless provide a window through which the Empire can better understand its Altmer subjects.

However, such understanding must be tempered by the knowledge that Altmer literature is nearly impenetrable to the outsider. Literary styles are marked by obfuscation and obscurantism, reflecting the fact that their audiences consisted of the aristocracy and clerisy.

The so-called "locked novels", thus named due to their secretive nature, provides an interesting example of this tendency. These novels were often written in the waning centuries of the Second Era. The precise content varies, though most take the form of a chivalric romance, a comedy of manners, or a picaresque.

What unites and defines the locked novel is an assumption that the reader is intimately familiar not only with Altmer culture, but with the specific social circle for which the novel was written. Not the slightest trace of exposition can be found in such works. Characters are introduced without introductions. Important events are referred to, but never described.

The most famous locked novel is Stinging, the Obtuse Barb in Dragonflesh Ripped (hereafter referred to as Stinging), which appears to have been written at the behest of House Vilyas, a now-defunct clan that once owned the fisheries east of Dusk.

In 3E 176, nearly a century after House Vilyas' fall at the hands of the Maormer, Imperial authorities stumbled upon a cache of Vilyas tax records, letters, and orders that had somehow come into the possession of a Breton smuggler. The Vilyas documents were examined for the sake of thoroughness, but authorities found little that made sense. The documents seemed half-complete, and made symbolic references not found in any other Altmer writings.

The truth was only revealed when an Altmer sympathetic to the Empire produced a copy of Stinging, and showed how House Vilyas had used the book as a code for its members. By referring to the contents of Stinging, an individual Vilyas family member or retainer could communicate in a way only understandable by those closest to him.

Reading a locked novel became an act of group initiation and affirmation. Those who had read a particular novel could discuss confidential information while disguising it as a conversation about a literary work. Reliance on locked novels may have even hampered communication between the various houses and cliques, weakening Altmer resistance to Maormer and Sload  .

Despite the practical intent behind locked novels, the authors also intended them to reach heights of artistic quality worthy of their owners. Surviving examples compare favorably with other, more widely circulated, Altmer texts. Phrases or lines of text deemed safe for wider readership were sometimes released to improve the patron's reputation. Access to a particularly intriguing locked novel acted as incentive for joining a clique or marrying into a family.

Opacity became the downfall of the locked novel. Subsequent generations found them difficult to understand, especially as Altmer society evolved under imperial rule. Altmer paranoia prevented the creation of guidebooks or explanations to these works, so the underlying meaning was inevitably forgotten over time.

As the value of locked novels decreased, their circulation increased, though few are still read today. Those that remain, such as Stinging, are known mostly for the beauty of their descriptive prose. The average Altmer (who was never intended to read such works) will not truly understand the novel, though he may pretend to.

However, some diaspora Altmer have attempted to impose their own idiosyncratic interpretations to such narratives, coming up with explanations and backstories to replace those forgotten by the long-dead creators. These jury-rigged narratives help bring together those Altmer living in far-flung provinces like Skyrim or Elsweyr.

In this way, the history of the locked novel repeats itself.