2016 №4 (53) Article 11

V.G. Reshetov

Gustave Flaubert’s “Herodias”: creating a masterpiece. C. 98- 106.

UDC 821.133.1-32.09“18”

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The paper treats Gustave Flaubert’s work on his novella “Herodias”. It analyzes religious, politi-cal, and social motifs in the novella. It analyzes the sources processed by Gustave Flaubert: Biblical prophecies relating to Babylon and prophecies regarding Moab from the Book of Isaiah (one of the most important books of the Old Testament), works by Roman historians and litterateurs, such as Plutarch, Tacitus, Livy, Suetonius, Petronius, and Josephus Flavius. The paper highlights that Gustave Flaubert restructures evangelical writings by introducing sensual components into it. Sensuality is introduced from the very beginning with the first mention of Salome. Gustave Flaubert depicts eastern luxuriance and splendor. The predominance of red colors of different shades highlights the tragic character of events, red being the color of passion, wrath, and blood. Relying on historical evidence, the author attempts to ex-plain the causal impetus behind the main characters’ actions. The article maintains that Gustave Flau-bert’s “Herodias” manifests certain similarities to Heinrich Heine’s “Atta Troll”, with its theme of Herodi-as’ infatuation with John the Baptist. Gustave Flaubert provides a detailed description of Roman life, mentioning Vitellius, Aulus, and Aziatus. Real and fictional characters form a background against which main characters develop.

Herodias, Herod Antipas, John the Baptist, Salome’s dance.

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