Marta Pérez-Carbonell - 'The things we don’t say: Ellipsis, liminality, and narrative uncertainty'

The things we don’t say: Ellipsis, liminality, and narrative uncertainty

Dr Marta Pérez-Carbonell

Associate Professor of Spanish, Colgate University, USA 
and author of I Made You Up Inside My Head (Penguin Random House/ Hachette, 2026)

Tuesday 10th November, 6:15 pm
Founder’s Lecture Theatre
Royal Holloway, University of London
Egham TW20 0EX

In this this year's David Vilaseca Memorial lecture, Dr Marta Pérez-Carbonell will argue that the power of narration in literature lies both in what is found on the page and in the margins; it is what we read and what we conjure up based on what is left unsaid. A classification of absences will act as entryway into the fictional world of Javier Marías (1951-2022). We will examine his articulation of fiction as that which does not happen, exploring his use of silences and the portrayal of various forms of absences in his literary works. Marta will then turn to her own works of fiction to assess the depiction of what could be seen as a “negative side of life.” We will examine hypothetical scenarios and other forms of ellipses, and the way in which these “non-events” might reveal themselves as the drivers of narration, despite their not being there.

This event is sponsored by The Centre for Visual Cultures, the Instituto Cervantes London and Romancero Books.

Marta’s lecture will be followed by a reception in the Picture Gallery.

Attendance is free, but booking is essential.