Its titular character, Frank, is an English gentleman, who connects with nature through a rejection of Christian orthodoxy and embracing of neopaganism.

Pan is identified with a Satanic entity, being a goat which dances on its hind legs, terrifying those villagers who witness it at night among the trees.

Frank's obsession with hearing the music of Pan (who in mythology is depicted as playing a flute) and finally seeing him, which he believes will be a transcendent moment, is similar to the work of the character Dr. Raymond in Machen's novella.

Echoes of this tradition can be traced to relatively recent stories, like horror writer Stephen King's 1975 piece "The Lawnmower Man".

[3] A 2016 Vintage Classics selection of Benson's ghost stories was introduced by writer and actor Mark Gatiss.