Themes & patterns

The narrative centers on John Maltravers' obsessive attachment to the Stradivarius violin and the music of the 'Areopagita' suite, which increasingly possesses his mind and soul, leading to his moral and physical ruin.

The story is driven by ghostly apparitions, mysterious sounds, and the lingering influence of the dead Adrian Temple, whose spirit seems to reach across time through music and the violin, blurring the line between the natural and supernatural.

Music, particularly the gagliarda from the 'Areopagita' suite, is portrayed as having a profound and potentially malevolent power, capable of summoning spirits, altering consciousness, and leading listeners toward moral decay and madness.

John Maltravers undergoes a visible physical and psychological decline, marked by pallor, lethargy, and a growing selfishness, as his character is corrupted by his secretive obsession and the evil influence of the violin and its history.

The book is framed as a posthumous letter revealing hidden family history, with the dying request of John Maltravers ensuring that his son learns the truth about his father's tragic past, suggesting that secrets and their consequences are passed down through generations.

The theme of love is explored through Constance's devoted but unrequited affection for John, who increasingly neglects her in favor of his obsession, leading to her emotional suffering and eventual death, highlighting the destructive consequences of emotional abandonment.

The narrative contrasts Christian piety with pagan sensuality, particularly in the descriptions of the Villa de Angelis, where sacred and profane objects are juxtaposed, and in Adrian Temple's revival of pagan mysteries, suggesting a moral battle between faith and hedonism.

The past exerts a relentless grip on the present, as Adrian Temple's historical sins and the old Neapolitan house's legacy resurface through the violin and music, demonstrating how unresolved histories can haunt and ultimately destroy the living.