On his father’s side, Aschenbach is descended from a long line of respectable statesmen and officials who lived diligent lives dedicated to the somber carrying out of their duties. His mother came from a more sensual and passionate stock as the daughter of a Bohemian musician, and in Aschenbach, the traits of these lines are seemingly combined to produce an artist. Aschenbach was briefly married to a wife who died young, leaving him with a daughter now long since grown and married herself. He lives a respectable middle-class life in Munich with a summer house in the countryside, and he is dark, clean-shaven, and possesses a head that seems too large for his short and dapper body. His face and nerves are marked by the strains of his art, which has had the same refining effect on him as a life full of elicit pleasures.

Aschenbach has managed to produce works of great renown despite lacking the robust constitution that would typically be required to take full advantage of his innate talents. He was educated at home since he was too sickly as a child to attend school, and even as an adult, he must ration his energy carefully. His poor health would lead many in his place to burn out and die young, but Aschenbach was determined to survive into his old age.