SOURCE: Scrogham, Ron E. “The Echo of the Name ‘Iaokanann’ in Flaubert's ‘Hérodias.’” The French Review 71, no. 5 (April 1998): 775-84.

In the following essay, Scrogham emphasizes the concept of naming in the tale “Hérodias,” citing specifically how it functions as a device of echo, identity, and reciprocity.

Flaubert's “Hérodias” closely follows the Gospel-record of the events that precede and culminate in the decollation of saint Jean-Baptiste, with the notable exception of the form of the saint's name. While Hérode Antipas surveys Machærous and its environs from the terrace of his palace, a voice rings out, breaking the silence of the early dawn:

—Où est-il? demanda le Tétrarque.

Mannaëi répondit, en indiquant avec son pouce un objet derrière eux:

—Là! toujours!

—J'avais cru l'entendre!

Et Antipas, quand il eut respiré largement, s'informa de Iaokanann, le même que les Latins appellent...