Using a comparative method involves for me reading closely, reading historically, and reading across national borders, a method that inherently leads to crossing fields. It also often means for me an avenue to examine peripheral or overlooked connections between authors, texts, and histories to shed light on alternative, understudied perspectives. A comparative methodology enables me to draw new connections, to find understudied topics, and to aim for research that makes an original contribution to ongoing discussions.

The diagram below represents how such layering of fields looks like through the example of a recurring figure and author in my studies, Oscar Wilde. This method develops out of my doctoral research on drawing national, historical, and linguistic connections between Oscar Wilde, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, and the work of other poets across national borders.