| The Gadfly, a novel written by the Irish author E. L. Voynich, didn't attract much attention in the Western world after its publication in 1897. However, the novel enjoyed immediate popularity successively in Russia, the Soviet Union, and China in the 1950s after the publication of its Chinese version by Li Liangmin in 1953. The image of the Gadfly, the protagonist in the novel, became an idol of the Chinese young people, inspired people's revolutionary drive, and presented, through the hero's own deeds as described in the novel, an excellent interpretation of heroism. In contrast, the image of Montanelli, the so-called antagonist in the novel, was positioned as insidious and crafty enemy, encountering hatred and harsh criticism from critics and readers. Then during the Culture Revolution (1966-1976), The Gadfly was listed among the "poisonous grass" by the authorities for "its petit bourgeois hue and pornographic description" and was forbidden, yet the novel still encouraged some bold readers with the protagonist's extraordinary tolerance of agony and hardships. In the 1990s, some more translators re-translated the novel, trying to highlight the humanity side of the main characters. The 21th century has witnessed further adaptations of The Gadfly, among which a TV series is worth mentioning. The TV series directed by Wu Tianming in 2004 are focused on the theme of "love" and "belief to highlight the moving ethic story between the Gadfly, his lovers and his biological father. Despite the fact that The Gadfly has gone through ups and downs over the decades, the influence of the 1953 Chinese version can still be felt, especially in terms of the characterization of the main characters. Translating is rewriting. Under the influence of ideology and poetics, fictional translation may give rise to a character different, to various degrees, from the corresponding one in the source text, hence character deformation. This thesis is an attempt to analyze character deformation...
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