Lud-in-the-Mist · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
The book is dedicated to the memory of the author's father.
Chapter 2
Epigraph
The epigraph, a quotation from Jane Harrison, reflects on the Sirens as symbols of life's untamed impulses—imperious longings and ecstasies of love, art, or philosophy—that call to a man from his 'Land of Heart's Desire,' with the risk that he may never return, yet the voices sing on regardless.
Chapter 3
Lud-in-the-Mist
The chapter introduces the town of Lud-in-the-Mist, a prosperous but peculiar community that denies the existence of Fairyland despite its proximity. The townspeople are practical, law-abiding, and deeply suspicious of anything whimsical or poetic. The narrative focuses on the Chanticleer family, particularly Master Nathaniel Chanticleer, a respected merchant and mayor, who embodies the town's values of order and denial. The chapter establishes the tension between the mundane reality of Lud-in-the-Mist and the suppressed, magical world of Fairyland that lurks at its borders.
Chapter 4
I: Master Nathaniel Chanticleer
The chapter introduces the small country of Dorimare and its capital Lud-in-the-Mist, focusing on Master Nathaniel Chanticleer, a seemingly typical Dorimarite who is secretly haunted by a nameless fear. This fear originated years ago when, as a young man, he plucked a single note from an ancient lute during a youthful prank, an experience that left him forever changed, generating a wistful yearning for the prosaic and a sense of insecurity beneath his cheerful exterior.
Chapter 5
II: The Duke Who Laughed Himself Off a Throne and Other Traditions of Dorimare
This chapter provides a historical and cultural overview of Dorimare, focusing on the revolution that ousted Duke Aubrey and the subsequent taboo against all things fairy. It describes how the merchant class replaced the old religion with a legalistic society, the lingering underground trade of fairy fruit, and the drought that led to a resurgence of fruit-eating. The chapter also introduces an anonymous antiquary's book arguing for a fairy strain in Dorimarite blood and culture, and reflects on the replacement of fairy delusion with the delusion of law.

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Dedication

Epigraph

Lud-in-the-Mist

I: Master Nathaniel Chanticleer

II: The Duke Who Laughed Himself Off a Throne and Other Traditions of Dorimare