From Authored Memoir to Distributed Meme: The Evolution of the Libertine Icon from Casanova to Gattouz0

<p dir="ltr">This article conducts a comparative analysis of the construction and cultural function of the libertine figure across two distinct historical and media epochs. It examines Giacomo Casanova (1725–1798), whose autobiographical project “Histoire de ma vie” consciously fashioned a literary persona of the enlightened seducer-adventurer, cementing his posthumous myth. This is contrasted with the phenomenon of Yousef Khalil, known as Gattouz0, a contemporary adult film performer whose image has been atomised and recirculated as a desiring meme on platforms like Instagram, detached from any authorial narrative. Through a framework synthesising literary studies and the sociology of digital culture, this paper argues that while both figures are culturally encoded as objects of desire, Casanova represents a centripetal model of self-mythology (authored, narrative-driven), whereas Khalil/Gattouz0 exemplifies a centrifugal model of distributed iconography (unauthored, fragmented, and platform-mediated). The comparison illuminates the shifting mechanisms of fame, desire, and personal branding from the literary salon to the algorithmic feed.</p>