THE FOUNTAINHEAD: Centennial Edition
Ayn Rand

Synopsis: Ayn Rand's classic novel has been inspiring readers for over half a century. Rand's hero is Howard Roark, a brilliant young architect whose revolutionary building designs lead him to wage a desperate battle against his colleagues, society, and even the woman he loves. Roark refuses to compromise. In defense of his selfish choices, Roark stuns his critics by developing a radical moral philosophy every bit as revolutionary as his buildings.

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May, 2008

"One can't love man without hating most of the creatures who pretend to bear his name." - Part 3, Ch. 4, pg. 444

Review: I read The Fountainhead awhile ago and forgot to write a review for it. This has become a bad habit of mine lately. I'm sure this review will be lacking because I don't remember what my initial thoughts were after reading the book, but who gives a damn, I'm gonna write one anyway. :)

The Fountainhead had a very strong start. It was fast-paced and kept me interested enough to continue on. However, as I was reading, it became quite clear that this book was propogandist literature. It seemed like The Fountainhead was just another one of Rand's philosophical efforts to correct our "imperfect and deeply troubled" world.

Despite the thin plot, absent character development, and obvious extremist thought, there were some interesting passages in the book. The parts that I liked the most were those that dealt with rational self-interest and individualism, like this one in particular, where Roark doesn't understand Keating's need for other people to tell him what he wants to do:

"If you want my advice, Peter," he said at last, "you've made a mistake already. By asking me. By asking anyone. Never ask people. Not about your work. Don't you know what you want? How can you stand it, not to know?"

I know this is not a completely foreign concept, it's mostly just good common sense knowing not to compromise one's own beliefs in order to please others. I like the fact that the messages presented in this book taught you that it's okay to be different, that you don't have to be persuaded to jump off of the bridge like everybody else. The hardest thing in this world is just to be, so to have this affirmation is somewhat reassuring.

I don't mind learning more about Objectivism, but when I'm set upon reading a novel, I'm not really fond of finding out that I'm really reading a textbook on philosophy. Obviously Objectivism is inherently flawed, but I can understand how those who are incapable of recognizing this can be swayed by Rand's writing. I would have enjoyed the book more had Rand not set forth her philosophy of Objectivism with little to no subtlety; not to mention the fact that her main points were overdrawn making her book infuriatingly too long. If you go into this book, knowing full well what you're getting into, realizing everything will be set in black and white with no in-between, then it is very possible to appreciate this book. Yes, I can appreciate this book...without having to accept its philosophy.

NAVIGATION

CHALLENGES

BIBLIOPHILE