As always, Millhauser toyed with genre in writing “In the Reign of Harad IV.” It finds itself in the category of “Impossible Architecture,” as opposed to “Heretical Histories,” despite my (and others’) initial assumption that it had taken place in the far past. I had assumed this because of its references to a king who lived in a palace and a master craftsman whose entire duty was to make art for the king. Does this have to imply the past, though? There are still kings, and kingdoms, and presumably master crafters within them. A contributing factor to the impression of taking place is not just the setting, but the style; Millhauser clearly evokes a fairy tale.
Here’s a the opening line of the story, with five words changed:
Once upon a time, there lived at court a maker of miniatures, who was celebrated for the uncanny perfection of his work.
The original opening words are “In the reign of Harad IV.” If you, like me, assumed based on kings and courts that this work took place in the distant past, it might as well be “Once upon a time, in a faraway land.” This voice continues throughout the story, with an omniscient, uncaring narrator, who has access to all of the characters’ thoughts without much dialogue.
The story’s ending is also an allusion to a classic fairy tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” In that story, clever tailors convince the fashionista king that his new suit is only visible to those who aren’t foolish or who are well-suited to their position. The twist, of course, is that there are no new clothes, and everyone was playing along to keep from looking stupid. The Master’s apprentices do something similar, but this story brings a new element to the tale: there is something there, and the Master isn’t intentionally trying to fool anyone. In fact, he’s disappointed no one understands his work. (Once again, someone needs to check on our friend Steven.)
All of these factors combined, “In the Reign of Harad IV” is possibly the closest we can get in adult literature to a fairy tale.
Our perception of time is warped when we think of kings and queens as a past era, and odd culture. You mention that you thought this story was set in the past because it began with “Once upon a time,” and I fell into the same trap. This I feel can be an illusion to anticipate the story and understand it with the belief that this was an older time.