The new hero-type favored by Aschenbach, and recurring in his books in a multiplicity of individual variants, had already been remarked upon at an early stage by a shrewd commentator, who had described his conception as that of "an intellectual and boyish manly virtue, that of a youth who clenches his teeth in proud shame and stands calmly on as the swords and spears pass through his body."
Heroi-mota berri honetaz-gure idazleak gogokoena zuen eta pertsonaia errepikari sail handi batean haragitzen zenaz-azterlari zuhur batek goiz idatzia zuen "gizontasun intelektual adolezentea sinbolizatzen zuela, zeinak bere ahalke arranditsuan hortzak estutu eta irmo dirauen, nahiz eta gorputza lantzaz eta ezpataz zeharkatua izan".