The Fountainhead
by Ayn Rand, Leonard Peikoff
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Book Reviews of The Fountainhead
Book Review: Ayn Rand's philosophy introduced through a great fiction
Summary: 5 Stars
I think that this book is one of the best fiction books I've ever read. Although I don't understand some parts of it, I try to piece the information I collected together during parts that I understood. Because I didn't understand Ayn Rand's philosophy beforehand, I didn't understand why the characters chose to do the actions they did, until I read further and started to make more sense out of it. This book mainly mentions Ayn Rand's philosophy on individualism and objectivism, and how collectivism doesn't enhance the society but instead is bringing it down. She further explained this in 'Atlas Shrugged.'In the Fountainhead, the society turns against the protagonist, architect Howard Roark, because he has a mind of his own, loves his work, is unbending to his clients, and has real talent on modernistic architecture. Others probaly hate him because they have on 'original' idea of their own to 'beat' him. According to 'Atlas Shrugged', people who can't think on their own, at such creativity as innovating new ideas, feel guilty that they can't do it. They tend to value people who say, "It's all right, you don't have to think. We're all like this, you're not stupid." If the whole society is like this, there will be absolutely very little improvement in anything because people are 'encouraging' each other not to innnovate new ideas for the sake of 'feeling good' together.
So far, I think that Ayn Rand's philosophy makes sense, which proves to me why she is called 'one of the most influential thinkers.' Although in the Fountainhead, Ayn Rand's philosophy on Individualism is quite extreme. I don't think that absolutely no negotiating, compromising, and group work can exist in the world and this society where it's most encouraged to do so. Roark was turning every client that didn't accept his work by not signing the contract, eventually leaving him with no job for a while. I think that being individualistic most of the time is good, but you need to negotiate in situations where negotiation is needed. Ms. Rand said that she believes that her philosophy is not widely known right now, but it will become more popular in the future.
The character development and plot in this book are wonderful. My favorite characters are Roark, Dominique, Wynand, Mallory, and Mike. Peter Keating seems to be too unsure of himself and tends to stick to collectivism with Toohey. In this book's romance, due to her love of Roark, earlier in the story, Domonique tries to persuade Roark to quit the architecture career and go live where no one knew them. That is because she can't stand the society turning against Roark and can't bear anyone 'hurting' him by making harsh comments about his work. Maybe this is the reason why all the great-minded people disappeared in 'Atlas Shrugged', but I haven't reached that part yet so I don't want to conclude firmly yet. Despite Dominique's persuasions, Roark remains persistent and water wins the 'battle' against the society that is trying to push him down. This book ends with a happy ending, although it doesn't seem that complete. I wish there was a sequal to this book.
Overall, I recommend this book to people who are interested in Ms. Rand's philosophy and want the concept to be introduced to them through good fiction.
Book Review: Excellent Process+Excellent Product= Excellent Read
Summary: 5 Stars
Fitzgerald once penned, "An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmasters of ever afteward." And though Fitzgerald's words are a bit antiquated, I can think of no greater a "litmus test" by which to judge fiction in general. _The Fountainhead_, all pundits and critics of Objectivism aside, is a narrative that stands on the pinnacle of literary excellence for it's scope, timelessness, authority, seamlessness, eloquence, and shear bravado. The damn thing is well written. Crtics of Rand's work point to the characters as charicatures, or hyperbolized men and women without emotion, empathy and humanity. If one takes this consideration at face value...so what? This is the world of fiction we are talking about. I can remember reading Klotzwinkle's _The Fan Man_ and thinking of the unreality of Horse Badorties; thinking Horse was so far out of the box that I would never come across a character so pathetically lethargic in all my life. But because of this "grotesque" aspect of the character, I was much more interested in reading about his destiny and eventual demise. I believe the same notion can be applied to Rand's characters in not only _The Fountainhead_, but all of her work. It is because of the fabulous and often distant nature of the characters that liberates the reader into a kind of unreality and allows the reader to think about the reality of situations at a distance. Regardless of literary intent by the author, regardless of her staid philosophy, _The Fountianhead_ (if nothing else, or everything else in this case), transports the reader into an entirely original and thought-provoking way of looking at the world. It is an exercise in futility for anyone to endeavor in evaluating the rightness or wrongness of this "trip" or the perspective you are given by the author, as the true test of great literature is the ticket there. If the story takes you to a place you have never been, and teaches you something (whether you like it or not), it passes the test as being worthwhile. This is the case with _The Fountainhead_.
It strikes me as humerous that the negative comments of Rand's work surround the personal characteristics of Rand and her characters; but rarely is a comment made on the style of storytelling. In the case of _The Fountainhead_, the storytelling is no less brilliant than that of any great writer extant or extinct to date. Creative Fidelity is maintained from start to finish. I would be willing to bet that everyone who has read the _The Fountainhead_ (be it admirers or pundits), have the desire to sit with Rand or one (if not all) of the characters for an afternoon discussion.
This book can inspire you to think and feel many things. In this, it is a controversy. Rand was no dummy. She designed it exactly for this purpose. And the purpose, be it good or bad, was to turn over a rock inside everyone who picked the book up, and examine the underside of the rock inside all of us. This is the kelson of excellent fiction.
From the Passion of the Pundits to the Loyalty of the admirers, it is clear that no one who reads _The Fountainhead_ simply walks away from it indifferently. This novel is a romance of extremes, and well wraught at that.
Book Review: Trite and Self-Serving
Summary: 2 Stars
There are two approaches one can take to reading this book. The first is to read it as a 700-page propaganda piece for Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. Objectivism is not entirely without merit. American society could benefit from a booster shot of personal responsibility. We would also do well to place more value in the individual. Unfortunately, it is fatally flawed. Apparently, for one to be perfect, one must have no concern for any other human. Some tidbits of Objectivist wisdom:* Any altruistic act is degrading to both the giver and the receiver, and will lead to the destruction of both their souls.
* Anyone who values his or her family is a self-deluded failure at best, and at worst a thoughtless automaton, lacking the capacity for original thought.
These beliefs have their roots in very good values. Altruism can foster learned dependence. Valuing other people's opinions over one's own is very harmful to one's self-worth. Objectivism does not, however, account for genuine compassion or for the human need for companionship and affection. I highly recommend the philosophy to independently wealthy, anti-social geniuses. For anyone who needs other people for any reason, Objectivism is a call to examine one's motives and relationships, and nothing more.
The second approach is to read it as a novel. Rand's use of language is very good. The prose is clean and elegant. For the rest of it, however, I borrow from Woody Allen "the three S words": self-indulgent, sophomoric, and solipsistic. The characters are two-dimensional and the plot is trite. Character development is thoroughly absent. Any concepts that challenge Rand's philosophy are completely ignored. She did not know how to reconcile filial love with her ideal of utter selfishness, so the hero, Howard Roark, has no family at all. It seems he sprang, like Athena, fully formed. Which begs the question: From whose smitten head did he spring? The antagonist presents a greater problem: How to create a nemesis who can threaten Roark, but who has no positive qualities? The solution: Ignore the problem. Elmore Toohey is a very intelligent man with a great deal of insight into the human psyche. He is an excellent orator. He manipulates people like a master puppeteer. His goal is to rule the world, and he seems to have the capacity to meet it. But Rand refers to him as someone who has no inherent talent, who could never have been anything but a social parasite. She did not feel the need to explain how he came to be an evil would-be dictator. She gives brief overview of his childhood, and apparently he leapt from the womb plotting and scheming. The only character that rings remotely true is Gail Wynand, and he is clearly a sketch of William Randolph Hearst.
The last 30 pages consist almost entirely of long soliloquies in which the characters go on ad nauseam with very important ideas Rand couldn't fit in earlier. A large portion of the book took place during the Great Depression. The Depression is mentioned exactly once, and had absolutely no effect on any of the characters. I recommend this book only to those who want to know more about of Objectivism. It gives a good overview of its few merits and its many flaws.
Book Review: Probably the better of Rand's 2 epics
Summary: 4 Stars
Of course, this is more than a novel. This is Ayn Rand's attempt to use the vehicle of fiction to present her philosophy of objectivism. In addition, she used another epic type novel, Atlas Shrugged.
In terms of literary value, there is a lot to be desired in this novel. It is long. It rambles in places. It could have used a great deal of editing and rewriting to make it tight and the characters at times seem shallow and are revealed for the literary vehicles they obviously are to make her point.
Why give it 4 stars then?
Because this book has succeeded in what it set out to do. It has stood the test of recent time and grown in popularity. It has had a profound impact in philosophy, politics and simple human values and as such it can be said to truly be a classic.
Lest you think that means that I'm a huge fan of the message of the book, I am not necessarily.
You have to put the book into context however.
Ayn Rand grew up in Soviet Russia and viewed the impact of collectivism and the impact that it had upon the individual when society's needs were elevated above opportunity for the individual to rise and shine. She chafed and wrestled against it.
Introduced to the US and capitalism, she swung in rebellion to her upbringing and sought to elevate selfishness to a virtue which was to be encouraged and allowed with minimal restraint and influence from "Big Brother."
The Fountainhead, in my opinion is better than Atlas Shrugged, because here Rand achieves a more personable protagonist in which there is a sense of idenitification and sympathy. In that context, her philosophy takes on a rosier glow and seems more inviting and palatable
Of course, ultimately, for me as well as many others, this philosophy breaks down. As others note, the presentation breaks down in many areas. There are no children, no dirty diapers, human emotions are kept in check to logic. This is what I have found with objectivism as well when I flirted with it. The constraints against abuse are artificial and rest too deeply in an idealism that itself doesn't pass the reality test for me.
It does a wonderful job though of demonstrating the folly of the opposite extreme, that Rand saw in Russia and her evaluation of that system and its viability in the long term has been borne out by history.
That's why I like and recommend the book. You don't have to agree with it to benefit from reading it. It has driven me more to the middle rejecting either extreme. That wasn't Rand's goal. But she did a good job presenting her case and I felt able to make some choices and evaluations. I was affected and that is the measure of a good book.
The success of a book isn't necessarily in garnering your support and agreement. If it presents its case well enough that you can form an independent opinion and grow for the experience of reading it, then it is valuable whether you adopt objectivism or not.
Read it. Enjoy it. Learn from it. Interact with it.
It's a gripping read in the realm of thought, even if literarily it falls a little flat.
Book Review: Novels, Realism, and the Individual
Summary: 5 Stars
In reading the reviews of this book, I found that many sounded incredibly alike. The people who rated this book highly all spouted the same praises - "this book changed my life," "it will force you to look at yourself differently." etc. Those who did not like the book also said many of the same things - "unrealistic" "boring" "too long." One thing which Rand states in her non-fiction writing is that each individual has the right to form their own opinion. I find it interesting that so many have the SAME opinions on this work. To address a few comments made in earlier reviews... Novels do not need to be about REAL characters, nor about REAL events, in a REAL world or have to do with anything considered REAL by current standards. A novel is a work of fiction. Nothing in it needs to be based in reality or in believability. Rand used her novels to bring the fundamentals of her philosophy to the public. This is an impossible task to do by using REAL characters. The only way to illustrate clearly is with charicatures... kind of like Nietchze's ideal man... these archetypes will never exist, they are there for inspiration and aspiration. As for realism in general as it relates to fiction... and this book... will anyone dare to say that George Orwell's "Animal Farm" was REALISTIC? I mean, hey, it took place in a farmyard, with pigs being the governing officials. To me, this is more than unreal... it is absolutely crazy to expect that anyone will actually think that pigs could become such incredible politicians. Yet, we read it and learn various things from it. We can do the same with Rand's books. Admittedly, the writing is difficult. The things she says are in discord with many things we are taught from childhood. The biggest of these is the concept of the individual. The part of the book which I feel exeplifies that concept the best is the scene before Dominique leaves Rourke's apartment after she married Keating. The scene where they say that they love each other. Rourke says "To say I love you, one must first be able to say the 'I'." For me, that means that before you can call any feeling or opinion you have valid or real, you must first acknowledge yourself. The way you think, the way you work. You need to discover your own self before you can actually feel anything with it. This applies to reviews of books as well. Rand said that she did not like reading Victor Hugo's work. She disagreed with what he had to say, but she can not say that he was a bad writer... she has acknowledged his tale! nt at what he did aside from the fact that she did not care for his works.
If you are thinking of reading this book, please, decide for yourself if you want to expose yourself to something new which you may or may not like... which is essentially the case - the decision you must make - with everything in your life.
And, as so many have stated, if you have any questions or comments which you would like to discuss, feel free to contact me.