Lud-in-the-Mist & The (High) Fantasy Genre

So throughout my exploration into all kinds of literature I've tried to enjoy the fantasy genre and found that... I don't like it much, with few exceptions. Particularly high fantasy. It successfully makes me feel like I'm playing an in-depth RPG where I get lost in the skill trees, the intricate details, and the flowery language. All of it sets me up, but culminates to a subject with no real purpose. Therefore I chose to read Hope Mirrlees' Lud-in-the-Mist over The Hobbit as I've familiarized myself with Tolkien content over the years and feel I needed something fresh, even if it was high fantasy.

To my disappointed surprise, Lud-in-the-Mist is just as frustrating a read as any fantasy novel, only compounded by the miles of its mythological allusions and literary mazes. Mirrlees often goes into extended dry explanations and descriptions that made me wonder where the plot was going, as in where Nathaniel's allegiances lay and the nature of the town of Lud.

Upon wading through the thick explanations and flowing paragraphs, we may come to the conclusion that overall, the nature of the town of Lud is its fear of the unknown. The town is confident in its absolute averageness, it believes that this will maintain it's security. But this principle also encourages ignorance and isolation as the two countries, Fairyland and Dorimare have not communicated for centuries in any official capacity. The arrival of the fairy fruit, eaten by Nathaniel's son, further communicates this point. The people of Lud are anxious about it's arrival that even mention of it has become taboo, there are even laws set in place to ban it.

Funnily enough, the town of Lud's main economy comes from trading; an act based on communicating with other peoples and outside authorities. Lud's inability to change and refusal to accept any artistic culture in favor of the stringent rules or law and commerce only encourages the smuggling of fairy fruit. When the fruit is allowed back into Lud, it represents the healthy growth and creative change for the town of Lud.

Overall, Lud-in-the-Mist is an extended metaphor about how fear of the outside world, and the desire to remain isolated, only harbors intolerance and paranoia.