I am a comparatist who works in the area of word and image relations. My research interests include the role of visualization in contemporary literature written in English, French and Italian; the relation between narrative discourse and visual representation; and literary theory. In drawing links between verbal and visual modes of expression, I pay particular attention to issues of authority, truth, and identity. This has led me to examine the use of photography and other visual documents, such as maps and charts, in literature and engage in the study of graphic memoirs and graphic illness narratives. I also study focalization in comics, engage in the comparative analysis of verbal and visual autobiographical narrative techniques, and explore questions of gender in contemporary literature.