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Dergiler / Litera / 2026 / Cilt: 35 Sayı: 1

“I can’t tell you exactly who I am”: A Deleuzian Reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Mohammad Hossein Mahdavi Nejhad(International University of Imam Reza, Faculty of Human Science)0000-0002-7272-1902
Ghiasuddin Alizadeh(Malayer University, Faculty of Human Science)0000-0002-4119-2251
Omid Amani(Malayer University, Faculty of Human Sciences)0000-0003-3433-0289
Dergi
Litera
Sayfa
155–172
Yayın Tarihi
2025-06-19
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⚡ TL;DR(1 Cümlede Hızlı Çıkarım)

In addition, this mode of narration, which endorses rationality and stability, operates in collusion with the paternalistic and normalizing father figures, including Benjamin’s father and son, in their suppression of fluidity, becoming, and childishness.

📌 3 Maddede Bu Makale

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Amaç & Hipotez:“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a neglected short story by F.
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Temel Bulgular & Veri:It seems to have attracted more scholarly attention following the 2008 adaptation of the story by David Fincher.
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Sonuç & Katkı:In addition, this mode of narration, which endorses rationality and stability, operates in collusion with the paternalistic and normalizing father figures, including Benjamin’s father and son, in their suppression of fluidity, becoming, and childishness.
🔬Tür:Literatür & Derleme Çalışması
📍Kapsam:2008 Verileri
⚙️Değişkenler:“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” · rationalizing narrator · forgetfulness

Abstract

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a neglected short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It seems to have attracted more scholarly attention following the 2008 adaptation of the story by David Fincher. A review of the available literature on the short story evinces that instead of looking at how Benjamin experiments with new forms of thought and life, mostly the grotesque aspects of his reversed aging, as well as the moral evaluations of his actions are emphasized. In this regard, through the vitalistic philosophy of Gilles Deleuze, this article aims to argue that Benjamin’s reversed aging, as well as his against-the-grain actions, exemplifies nomadic life, which runs contrary to segmented or prefabricated modes of life and entails forgetfulness. In this regard, it is argued that Benjamin defies memory and history and assumes various identities to escape any signifying system. This article tries to illustrate how the philanthropic narrator of the story directs his readers’ attention toward reading the rhizomatic actions of Benjamin as deviant and pervert. In addition, this mode of narration, which endorses rationality and stability, operates in collusion with the paternalistic and normalizing father figures, including Benjamin’s father and son, in their suppression of fluidity, becoming, and childishness.

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Bu Makaleye Atıf Yap

Nejhad, M. H. M., Alizadeh, G., Amani, O. (2025). “I can’t tell you exactly who I am”: A Deleuzian Reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. Litera, Cilt: 35 Sayı: 1, 155–172. https://doi.org/10.26650/LITERA2024-1485574

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Kaynakça (23)

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