The Gadfly

Ethel Voynich

The Gadfly — The Gadfly is set in Italy in the 1830s and 1840s, against the background of revolutionary opposition to Austrian influence and the established authorities. The titular character is a charming, witty writer of pointed political satires who finds himself running with a crowd of revolutionaries. The plot develops as the revolutionaries struggle against the government and as the Gadfly struggles with a mysterious hatred of the Church, and of a certain Cardinal. The novel, with its complex themes of loyalty, romance, revolution, and struggle against both establishment and religion, was very popular in its day especially in Russia and China. In the Soviet Union, the book was so popular that it became required reading. Since its publication it has also been adapted into film, opera, theater, and ballet, and Voynich later wrote related novels about earlier events.

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