Italy, 19th century. The main character of the novel is Arthur Burton. He is a student and a member of the secret revolutionary organization Young Italy. This secret is revealed to the authorities by his confessor, which entails the arrest of him and his comrade. The organization associates this fact with the betrayal of Burton, who feels very strongly about such injustice. He quarrels with his girlfriend and accidentally learns from relatives that his father is the rector of the Montanelli Seminary. A young man, in despair, fakes suicide and goes to Buenos Aires.

After 13 years, Burton returns to his homeland, calling himself Rivares. He publishes satirical pamphlets, which he signs under the pseudonym “Gadfly.” After some time, an armed clash occurs, which leads to his arrest and death sentence. Cardinal Montanelli persuades Arthur to escape. However, he sets the condition that the clergyman must renounce his religious beliefs and resign from the priesthood. The denouement of the novel leads to the shooting of Gadfly and the death of Montanelli after the sermon.

Historical legacy of the famous novel

The first publication of the novel by E.L. Voynich takes place in the USA in 1897, and its translation in Russia was carried out a year later.

At first it was a supplement to a literary magazine, but already in 1900 a separate book was published. The novel began to spread in our country through the active participation of popular revolutionary figures. Soviet people admitted that “The Gadfly” became their favorite work of art. In the USSR, this novel was filmed three times, and based on its plot, a ballet and a rock musical were staged.

Part one

Nineteen-year-old Arthur Burton is in very close contact with Lorenzo Montanelli, the rector of the seminary, who is also his confessor. The young man has immense respect for the Catholic priest (padre). Since his mother's death a year ago, he has been living with his half-brothers in Pisa.

The appearance of the young man makes many people stare at him. “Everything about him was too elegant, as if chiseled: long eyebrows, thin lips, small hands, legs. When he sat quietly, he could be mistaken for a pretty girl dressed in a man's dress; but with his flexible movements he resembled a tamed panther - albeit without claws.”

Burton, communicating with the padre, tells him that he has joined Young Italy and is going to devote his whole life to the fight for freedom. The priest unsuccessfully tries to dissuade the young man from what he considers a reckless act. He has a presentiment that trouble will happen soon.

Childhood friend Jim (Gemma Warren) is also a member of the same revolutionary organization. Montanelli soon moved to Rome, where he assumed the position of bishop. The new rector is installed as Arthur's confessor. The young man trusts him with the information that he loves a girl, who in turn is jealous of his party comrade Bolle.

After a short time, Arthur finds himself under arrest. During interrogations, he remains loyal to his revolutionary organization, without betraying any of his friends. The gendarmes are forced to let him go. However, his comrades consider him a traitor, guilty of Bolla's detention. The young man understands that the confessor has violated the secret of confession, but unconsciously behaves in such a way that Jim concludes that he has betrayed him. She is violently indignant, and they part as enemies.

A scandal occurs in the family circle, during which his brother’s sister tells Arthur that Montanelli is his own father. The young man fakes his own death by throwing his hat into the river and after breaking the crucifix and writing a suicide note. He moves illegally to Buenos Aires.

Part two

In 1846, in Florence, members of the Mazzini party discussed their own actions to combat political power in the country. Dr. Riccardo invites his comrades to contact Felice Rivares, who writes political pamphlets under the pseudonym Gadfly.

At an evening meeting at Grassini, Gemma Bolla, the widow of Giovanni Bolla, meets the Gadfly, who comes there with the gypsy dancer Zita Reni, who is his mistress. “He was dark as a mulatto, and, despite his limp, as agile as a cat. His entire appearance resembled a black jaguar. His forehead and left cheek were disfigured by a long crooked scar - apparently from a blow with a saber... when he began to stutter, a nervous spasm twitched on the left side of his face.” She is impressed by the behavior of the Gadfly, because he does not take into account the rules of decency and behaves quite impudently.

Motanelli, who is already serving as a cardinal, arrives in Florence. Signora Bolla, who has not seen him since Arthur died, comes to meet him. Then the clergyman admitted to her that he had deceived the young man, which he found out about. On that ill-fated day, the padre fell in a fit right on the street, having learned about the death of his child. On a joint walk between Gemma and Martini, they meet the Gadfly, in whom the woman sees the deceased Arthur.

Rivares is seriously ill. Party comrades take turns keeping watch near his bed, and Zita, on the orders of the patient, is not allowed near him. The dancer is very and loudly indignant, which reveals to Martini her love for the Gadfly. Soon he begins to recover and, during one of his vigils at Gemma’s bedside, he opens up with her about life’s adventures. She, in turn, admits that it was her fault that her loved one died.

Soon Jema begins to realize that the Gadfly is Arthur. After all, there are so many external coincidences. She even tries to sort out her doubts by observing Gadfly's behavior when she shows him a photograph of ten-year-old Arthur. But the experienced revolutionary does not betray himself in any way. Soon he asks Signora Bolla to help transport military equipment to the Papal States, to which she agrees.

Zita accuses Felice that he loves only Cardinal Montanelli, and does not pay due attention to her feelings. She says: “Do you think I didn’t notice the way you looked at his stroller?” Rivarez agrees with her arguments.

In Brisighella, the Gadfly, through accomplices, meets with Montanelli. He sees that the padre continues to suffer because of the death of Arthur. Rivares almost reveals himself to the cardinal; he is stopped only by his own pain from the memories of the past. Returning back, the man learns that Zita left with a gypsy camp, planning to marry a fellow tribesman.

Part three

The gadfly must go to the rescue of a revolutionary comrade who was arrested while transporting weapons. Before leaving, Gemma again wants to find out for herself the question of the identity of the Gadfly, but this is prevented by Martini who appeared at the wrong time.

In Brisighella, Rivares lost his nerve in a shootout when he encountered Montanelli and was arrested. The colonel turns to the cardinal with a request to start a military trial. But Montanelli wants to see the prisoner before this. The meeting is accompanied by all sorts of insults to the clergyman from Gadfly.

Gadfly's escape, organized by friends, fails due to another attack of his illness, during which he loses consciousness. The shackled prisoner asks to see the cardinal. Montanelli visits the prisoner. He is outraged by the cruel treatment of the prisoner. And the Gadfly, in turn, reveals himself to the padre. Moreover, he sets a condition for the spiritual dignitary: either God or him. The cardinal leaves the cell in a depressed state. The Gadfly shouts after him: “I can’t stand this! Radre, come back! Come back!

Montanelli agrees to court-martial proceedings. However, the soldiers sympathize with Gadfly and shoot past him. In the end, Rivares is hit by bullets and falls. His last words refer to the cardinal: “Adre... is your god... satisfied?” Friends learn sad news.

During the solemn liturgy, the cardinal, seeing bloody traces in the rays of the sun, decoration and flowers, accuses the parishioners of the death of his son, which was carried out by him like the Father bringing his Son to atone for the sins of the whole world. Gadfly’s suicide letter is addressed to Jema, in which he confirms the validity of her suspicions. “She lost it. Lost it again!” Martini reports the cardinal's heart attack, which caused his death.

Italy, 30s of the 19th century. Arthur Burton is still very young, only 19 years old, and has no real life experience yet. The young man devotes a lot of time to communicating with his confessor Lorenzo Montanelli, trusting him in everything and considering him perhaps the best of people. In addition, Arthur sees Montanelli as his only friend, because his mother Gladys passed away about a year ago, and his half-brothers, who are much older than the young man, have always treated him coldly and indifferently.

The guy informs the priest that he has joined a revolutionary organization called “Young Italy”, from now on he, like his comrades, intends to devote his life to the struggle for the freedom and happiness of his homeland. Montanelli has a presentiment that this activity could lead Arthur to real trouble in the future, but he does not know how to dissuade his ward from his plans, because young Burton is firmly convinced of the correctness and nobility of his goals.

Arthur’s longtime girlfriend Gemma, to whom the young man is not indifferent, also joins the same organization. Burton's confessor goes to Rome for some time, having received the title of bishop, and Arthur himself, in confession, tells another clergyman that he is in love with Gemma and is jealous of a party comrade named Bolla, who is also courting this girl.

Soon Arthur finds himself under arrest. During interrogations, the guy remains steadfast, not betraying his comrades in the organization, but after his release, he learns that it is he who is accused of treason against Bolle. The young man realizes with horror that the priest allowed himself to betray the confession of the confessor. Burton receives a slap in the face from Gemma, who believed that he really committed treason; Arthur does not have time to explain to the girl how everything really happened. Upon arriving home, his brother's wife Julie, losing her temper, tells the young man that in reality his father is Montanelli. Deeply shocked and disappointed in the person closest to him, Arthur illegally sails to South America, hiding on a ship, leaving a note about his intention to drown himself.

13 years pass after these events. Members of a revolutionary organization in Florence decide to recruit a certain Felice Rivares, nicknamed the Gadfly, who successfully engages in political satire and is known for his sharp, merciless tongue. Gemma Bolla, who over the years has become the wife and then the widow of a member of Bolla's party, sees this man for the first time at one of the social evenings, noticing his limp, a long scar on his face and some stuttering. Montanelli, who managed to become a cardinal, also arrives in the same city.

Gemma and a high-ranking church minister are connected by a previous tragedy. More than ten years ago, the girl, like everyone else, believed Arthur had drowned and blamed herself for his death, but Montanelli claimed that the young man committed suicide because of his many years of lies, which became known to Arthur. Nevertheless, throughout all these years the woman continues to mercilessly reproach herself for what happened.

During further communication with the Gadfly, Gemma accidentally recognizes the lover of her youth in this man, and this discovery horrifies her. Shortly after this, Rivarez begins to experience attacks of severe pain, and his party comrades are forced to take turns standing next to him, trying to alleviate the unbearable suffering. At the same time, the Gadfly forbids his mistress, the gypsy Zita, from even entering his room, which is very painful for the woman, because she sincerely loves Felice.

When Gadfly feels somewhat better, he tells Gemma a little about how terrible, full of hunger and humiliation, his existence was on the South American continent. A certain sailor brutally beat him with a poker, Rivares was forced to work as a clown in a traveling circus, regularly being subjected not only to insults and bullying, but also to beatings. According to him, in his youth he committed a very rash act, leaving his home. At the same time, Gemma does not hide her feelings about the death of her loved one through her fault; the woman openly talks about how she continues to suffer every day because of what happened in her young years.

Signora Bolla suspects that in fact her supposedly dead childhood friend Arthur is now the Gadfly, but she is not completely sure of this, and Rivarez remains impenetrable and does not betray himself even when looking at the portrait of little Burton at the age of ten. At the same time, Gadfly and Gemma decide to organize the transportation of weapons necessary for revolutionary activities to the Papal States.

The dancer Zita reproaches Rivares for not loving her at all, but only Cardinal Montanelli is truly dear to him, and the Gadfly does not deny she is right. By coincidence, the revolutionary in the guise of a beggar talks to his real father, he sees that his mental wound has not healed. He has a desire to open up to Montanelli and confess everything to him, but Gadfly holds back, realizing that he will still never be able to forget his monstrous past in South America and forgive the cardinal.

After some time, Rivares is forced to go to Brisighella to replace a comrade who was under arrest. At the sight of Montanelli, he loses his vigilance and is also captured. The cardinal insists on a meeting with this prisoner, but Gadfly at the meeting is not only defiant, but also downright rude, never ceasing to insult the clergyman.

His comrades are trying to arrange for Rivares to escape. But due to a new attack of his illness, he faints in the prison yard, and the head of the fortress does not allow him to be given an anesthetic, despite the persistent requests of the local doctor. Montanelli again comes to Gadfly, seeing his condition and the conditions in which the revolutionary is being held, the cardinal comes into sincere horror and indignation. It is at this moment that the son still tells him about who he really is. Rivarez insists that Montanelli choose either him or Jesus, but the clergyman is unable to reject God and religion, and in deep despair he leaves the cell.

Montanelli is forced to agree to the verdict of the military court, and Gadfly is placed in the courtyard in front of a line of soldiers. True, they try to shoot past, because they are not indifferent to this courageous man, who tries to joke to the last, despite the torment he experiences. But finally he dies in front of his father.

Rivares' party comrades learn of his heroic death. During the service, the cardinal blames everyone for the death of his son, at which point he almost loses his mind from immense grief. Gemma receives a letter from Gadfly, written by him on the eve of the execution, and realizes that again, and now she has completely lost Arthur. At this moment, her longtime friend and party comrade Martini informs her that Montanelli died after suffering a broken heart.

Burton Arthur is a student of English-Italian origin, a participant in the Italian national liberation movement "Young Italy". Betrayed by his confessor who violated the secret of confession, he turns out to be the unwitting culprit in the arrest of his colleague in the case and at the same time his rival in love. Having lost the love of the girl Gemma, who considers him a traitor, having become disillusioned with religion, and to top it all off, having learned that his real father is his elder friend and patron, Canon (later Cardinal) Montanelli, A., faking his death, goes to South America. Returning 13 years later to Italy as a stern and outwardly disfigured Rivares, a revolutionary and pamphleteer, writing his anti-church articles under the pseudonym "Gadfly", he eventually ends up in prison after an armed incident. He agrees to accept help in escaping from the cardinal who recognized him as his son only at the cost of the latter’s renunciation of rank and religion, which he is unable to do. The Gadfly is shot, and Montanelli dies after a passionate and half-crazed sermon in which, depicting the suffering of God the Father, who gave Christ to be crucified, he mourns himself and his own son. The hero V. repeats the path of many young people from the novels of the 19th century, who disappeared from life after a tragic incident, seemingly forever, but return unrecognized and under a different name in order to restore justice and pay tribute to their enemies. The most striking example of this kind is Edmond Dantes, the Count of Monte Cristo in Dumas. But similar characters can be found in Dickens. There is a spectacular contrast between the image of the hero in the past and during his secondary appearance (often, like Dickens, the identity of both is revealed only at the end). A. at the beginning of the novel is an exalted romantic young man, immersed in the elements of Catholicism and experiencing a crisis of faith. The Gadfly of his main part is also a romantic hero, but already a disappointed, lonely cynic and atheist, who has only one revolutionary cause left in his life and cherished in the depths souls old love. The motif of “lost illusions,” very characteristic of the “story of a young man” of the 19th century, is also present here. What made A. a gadfly was, first of all, disappointment in the values ​​of religion. The ideological revolution in Voynich's novel is based on specific private facts concerning specific church ministers, one of whom violated the secret of confession, and the other violated the vow of celibacy. The last of these facts is associated with a characteristic melodramatic device rooted in folklore - the disclosure of the secret of kinship, which occurs twice: in the first part, A. learns about his sonship. , in the third part, A. recognizes his son in Gadfly Montanelli.

Italy, XIX century. The young man, having lost his beloved, comrades and learned about the deception of the person closest to him, disappears. After 13 years, he returns to implement revolutionary ideas and return the love of loved ones.

Part one

Nineteen-year-old Arthur Burton spends a lot of time with his confessor Lorenzo Montanelli, rector of the seminary. Arthur idolizes the padre (as he calls the Catholic priest). A year ago, the young man's mother, Gladys, died. Arthur now lives in Pisa with his half-brothers.

The young man is very handsome: “Everything about him was too elegant, as if chiseled: long eyebrows, thin lips, small arms, legs. When he sat quietly, he could be mistaken for a pretty girl dressed in a man's dress; but with his flexible movements he resembled a tamed panther - albeit without claws.”

Arthur trusts his mentor with his secret: he has become part of Young Italy and will fight for the freedom of this country with his comrades. Montanelli feels trouble, but cannot dissuade the young man from this idea.

Arthur's childhood friend, Gemma Warren, Jim, as Burton calls her, is also a member of the organization.

Montanelli is offered the bishopric, and he leaves for Rome for several months. In his absence, the young man, in confession with the new rector, talks about his love for the girl and jealousy for his fellow party member Bolle.

Soon Arthur is arrested. He whiles away the time in the cell with fervent prayers. During interrogations, he does not betray his comrades. Arthur is released, but from Jim he learns that the organization considers him guilty of Bolla’s arrest. Realizing that the priest violated the secret of confession, Arthur unconsciously confirms the betrayal. Jim rewards him with a slap in the face, and the young man does not have time to explain himself to her.

At home, his brother’s wife starts a scandal and tells Arthur that his own father is Montanelli. The young man breaks the crucifix and writes a suicide note. He throws his hat into the river and swims illegally to Buenos Aires.

Part two. Thirteen years later

1846 In Florence, members of Mazzini's party discuss ways to fight the authorities. Dr. Riccardo suggests asking for help from the Gadfly - Felice Rivares, a political satirist. Rivares's sharp words in the pamphlets are what is needed.

At an evening with party member Grassini, Gemma Bolla, the widow of Giovanni Bolla, sees the Gadfly for the first time. “He was dark as a mulatto, and, despite his limp, as agile as a cat. His entire appearance resembled a black jaguar. His forehead and left cheek were disfigured by a long crooked scar - apparently from a blow with a saber... when he began to stutter, a nervous spasm twitched on the left side of his face.” The gadfly is impudent and does not respect decency: he appeared at Grassini’s with his mistress, the dancer Zita Reni.

Cardinal Montanelli arrives in Florence. Gemma last saw him immediately after Arthur's death. Then, as if petrified, the dignitary said to the girl: “Calm down, my child, it was not you who killed Arthur, but me. I deceived him and he found out about it." That day the padre fell in the street in a fit. Signora Bolla again wants to see Montanelli and goes with Martini to the bridge where the cardinal will ride.

On this walk they meet Gadfly. Gemma recoils from Rivarez in horror: she saw Arthur in him.

Rivarez becomes very ill. He is tormented by severe pain, party members take turns keeping watch at his bedside. During his illness, he does not allow Zita to come near him. Leaving him after duty, Martini runs into a dancer. Suddenly she bursts out with reproaches: “I hate you all!.. He allows you to sit next to him all night and give him medicine, but I don’t even dare look at him through the crack of the door!” Martini is stunned: “This woman really loves him!”

The gadfly is on the mend. While Gemma is on duty, he tells her how he was beaten with a poker by a drunken sailor in South America, about working as a freak in the circus, and how he ran away from home in his youth. Senora Bolla reveals to him her grief: through her fault, the man “whom she loved more than anyone in the world” died.

Gemma is tormented by doubts: what if the Gadfly is Arthur? So many coincidences... “And those blue eyes and those nervous fingers?” She tries to find out the truth by showing a portrait of ten-year-old Arthur Gadfly, but he does not reveal himself in any way.

Rivares asks Signora Bolla to use her connections to transport weapons to the Papal States. She agrees.

Zita showers Rivarez with reproaches: he never loved her. The person Felice loves more than anything in the world is Cardinal Montanelli: “Do you think I didn’t notice the way you looked at his stroller?” And Gadfly confirms this.

In Brisighella, disguised as a beggar, he receives the necessary note from his accomplices. There Rivares manages to talk with Montanelli. Seeing that the padre's wound has not healed, he is ready to open up to him, but, remembering his pain, he stops. “Oh, if only he could forgive! If only he could erase the past from his memory - the drunken sailor, the sugar plantation, the traveling circus! What suffering can compare with this?

Returning, Gadfly finds out that Zita has left with the camp and is going to marry a gypsy.

Part three

The person involved in the transportation of weapons was arrested. The Gadfly decides to go to correct the situation. Before he leaves, Gemma tries once again to get a confession from him, but at that moment Martini enters.

In Brisighella, Rivares is arrested: in a shootout, Gadfly lost his composure when he saw Montanelli. The colonel asks the cardinal for consent to a military trial, but he wants to see the prisoner. When they meet, Gadfly insults the cardinal in every possible way.

Friends organize an escape for Gadfly. But he suffers a new attack of illness, and once in the courtyard of the fortress, he loses consciousness. He is shackled and strapped down. Despite the doctor's persuasion, the colonel denies Rivares opium.

The Gadfly asks to meet with Montanelli. He visits the prison. Knowing about the prisoner’s serious illness, the cardinal is horrified by his cruel treatment. The gadfly cannot stand it and the padre opens. The dignitary realizes that his carino did not drown. Arthur confronts Montanelli with a choice: either he or God. The Cardinal leaves the cell. The Gadfly shouts after him: “I can’t stand this! Radre, come back! Come back!

The cardinal agrees to a military trial. The soldiers, who have fallen in love with Gadfly, shoot past. Finally Rivares goes down. At this moment Montanelli appears in the courtyard. Arthur's last words are addressed to the cardinal: “Adre... is your god... satisfied?”

Gadfly's friends learn about his execution.

During the festive service, Montanelli sees blood in everything: the rays of the sun, roses, red carpets. In his speech, he accuses the parishioners of the death of his son, who was sacrificed by the cardinal for their sake, just as the Lord sacrificed Christ.

Gemma receives a letter from Gadfly, written before the execution. It confirms that Felice Rivares is Arthur. “She lost it. Lost it again!” Martini brings the news of Montanelli's death from a heart attack.

Main characters

The characters of "The Gadfly" caused a lot of controversy among researchers. This was especially true for the main character. Polish literary scholars believed that his prototype was a leader of the social revolutionary Polish party. Russian readers and literary figures immediately saw in him the features of Russian revolutionaries.

The writer herself E.L. Voynich later said that only one character from the novel had a prototype. This is Gemma, whose image was based on a close friend of the writer.

Gadfly or Arthur is the main character, a revolutionary.

Lorenzo Montanelli is a priest, Arthur's real father.

Gemma is the main character's lover.

Giovanni Bolla is Arthur's friend, his rival. Gemma's deceased husband.

Zita Reni - Gadfly's lover, a gypsy.

Arthur's family secret

The young man confesses to Lorenzo Montanelli that he is a member of the Young Italy society. Arthur tells him that he will fight for justice and freedom. Lorenzo tries to dissuade him from participating in revolutionary plans, but in vain.

Together with the young man, his childhood friend, Gemma Warren, is also a member of Young Italy. Montanelli goes to Rome for a while. While he was away, the young man in confession confesses to the new clergyman his love for Cem and the fact that he is jealous of her for her comrade Bolle.

Arthur is arrested, and in prison the young man fervently prays. During interrogations, the young man does not reveal the names of his party members. He is released, and Jem tells him that he is considered to be to blame for Bolla’s arrest. Arthur realizes that the new priest has violated the secret of confession. Thus, he accidentally confirms the assumptions of fellow party members. The girl slaps him in the face, Arthur does not have time to explain to her.

The brother's wife is outraged by what happened. And in a fit of anger, he reveals to Arthur the secret of his birth. His real father is Lorenzo Montanelli. The young man is horrified by this confession. He writes a suicide note, throws his hat on the river and secretly leaves Italy.

13 years later

The first meeting with the Gadfly takes place at an evening hosted by Grassini, Gemma Bolla, the widow of Giovanni Bolla. Rivares gives the impression of a daring man, not accustomed to respecting decency. His face is disfigured by a scar on his left cheek; when he spoke, he began to stutter a little. The Gadfly shocked everyone by appearing at this evening in the company of his mistress Zita Reni.

Meanwhile, Montanelli appears in Florence. Gemma saw him only once after Arthur's death. That day Lorenzo was crushed with grief. He told the girl that it was because of him that the young man died, because he hid the truth from him. Gemma wanted to meet him again. Therefore, she and Martini go to where the cardinal will pass.

Is the Gadfly Arthur?

The gadfly begins to recover. He tells Gemma about himself. In turn, she tells Rivares about her grief: she believes that because of her, the man she loved and who was dearer to her than anyone in the world died. Signora Bolla is tormented by doubts: she thinks that the Gadfly is Arthur. But Rivares does not give himself away in any way.

He asks Gemma to help him deliver weapons to the Papal States. She gives him her consent. Zita says that she knows who he loves most - Cardinal Montanelli. Rivares doesn't deny this. He manages to talk to Lorenzo in the guise of a beggar. He realizes that the cardinal is still suffering. The Gadfly wanted to tell him everything, but then he remembers everything that he had to endure. Returning home, Rivares learns that his mistress left with the camp and is going to marry a gypsy.

The tragedy of Rivares

In Voynich's "Gadfly", the third part reveals the identity of the main character and the culmination of the main storyline. A person involved in the transportation of weapons is taken into custody. Rivares goes to Brisighella to help him. Gemma again fails to prove that the Gadfly is Arthur.

The Gadfly is arrested: the man lost control of himself when he sees the cardinal during a shootout. You need the cardinal's permission to conduct a military trial. During a meeting with Rivares, he insults Montanelli.

The revolutionaries help him escape, but during the escape, Gadfly loses consciousness. He is shackled despite his condition. He asks to meet with the cardinal. During their meeting, the Gadfly tells Montanelli that he is Arthur. A man confronts his father with a choice: either him or religion. The Cardinal leaves him.

Lorenzo agrees to a military trial. Rivares is sentenced to death. The soldiers were imbued with warm feelings towards him and shot past. But Arthur still dies. His last words were addressed to the cardinal, who came to be executed.

Friends learned about the death of Gadfly. Gemma is brought a note in which Rivares tells her that she was not mistaken, and he is Arthur. Martini tells her that Cardinal Montanelli died of a heart attack.

"The Gadfly" Voynich touches not only on the theme of revolution, but also on the difficulties in relationships between people. Therefore, it should be considered more broadly than just a revolutionary work.

Popularity of the novel

The work was very popular in England. In Russia it was first published in 1896, when the first congress of the Democratic Party took place. Later, "Gadfly" became widely known in the USSR and the USA. The struggle for democracy appealed to the revolutionaries of these countries.

Film adaptations of "The Gadfly"

Three films were made based on the work. In 1985, a rock musical was staged. Also based on the novel, ballet productions were made in 1982 and 1987, which confirm the popularity of the book.

This was a brief analysis of the work "The Gadfly". This is a novel not only about the ideals of the revolution, but also about how difficult it is for a person to make a choice. This work is also about how the priority of a person’s values ​​can change throughout life.