David Vilaseca Memorial Lecture presented by Marta Pérez-Carbonell

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

Marta Pérez-Carbonell, Associate Professor of Spanish, Colgate University, USA.

David Vilaseca Memorial Lecture organised by The Centre for Visual Cultures

Tuesday 10th November 2026

6.15 pm, Founder’s Lecture Theatre

In this 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. I will then turn to my 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.

In-person lecture sponsored by the Centre for Visual Cultures, Instituto Cervantes London and Romancero Books.

The lecture will be followed by a reception in the Picture Gallery, generously sponsored by the Instituto Cervantes and Romancero Books.

For more information: centreforvisualcultures@royalholloway.ac.uk

This lecture is free and all are welcome to attend.

Description supplied by the event organiser.