Giovanna Franci is Full Professor of North-American Literature at the University of Bologna. She is Director of the " Bologna Study Center on Canadian Culture, Literature, and the Arts", and Co-director of the "International Center for Civic Engagement, University of Bologna/University of Denver ". She coordinates the European project 'EU/Canada Cooperation Programme in Higher Education' (2005/2007)-CEMMENTI: "Canada Exchanges with the Mediterranean: Migration Experiences and their Impact on Nationalism, Trans-nationalism, and Identity". She has written extensively on Romantic and Fantastic literature, the Gothic Novel, the Dandy, Literary Theory, Translation Studies. She is presently working on the theme of urban landscape in literature, architecture, and urban planning, with particular attention to North-American cities. Her second field of research concerns Fashion Studies (Fashion and society; Art and fashion).