Did anyone know the book,The Fountainhead

[CountTso]

I am recently that reading FountainHead by Ayn Rand. Did anyone read it before?
I would like to share with your opinion

[PeterL]

While I basically agree with Ayn Rand, her books would have been better, if she hadn't pushed her beliefs so strongly.

[starrwriter]

Ayn Rand was a better philosopher and social critic than a fiction writer. I agree with her about the importance of individualism and the dangers of collectivist thinking, but her characters tend to be card-boardish mouthpieces for her ideas. The romantic relationship between Howard Roark and Dominique Francon in "The Fountainhead" is absurdly melodramatic and unconvincing to me. They come off as stereotypes, not real people -- her the wilfull rich girl, he the stalwart idealist. Ironic for an author who believes in individualism.

[baddad]

The FountainHead. The above analagy 's reference to 'cardboardish' is apt for an objective existence as well as describing Rand's protagonists. A world adopting Rand's philosophy would be two dimensional at best.
But she shows great strength in style, in her rich text. One does not sit and 'read' Rand, but instead one finds him or herself 'deciphering' her. NOt so much a difficult read, but a sometimes trying one, and I like that in a book................................

[Diceman]

Ayn Rand was a better philosopher and social critic than a fiction writer. I agree with her about the importance of individualism and the dangers of collectivist thinking, but her characters tend to be card-boardish mouthpieces for her ideas. The romantic relationship between Howard Roark and Dominique Francon in "The Fountainhead" is absurdly melodramatic and unconvincing to me. They come off as stereotypes, not real people -- her the wilfull rich girl, he the stalwart idealist. Ironic for an author who believes in individualism.

Substitute Dagny Taggart and Hank Rearden or John Galt for the two names above and you have the perfect description of "Atlas Shrugged". A great book, but an average story.

[starrwriter]

The above analogy 's reference to 'cardboardish' is apt for an objective existence as well as describing Rand's protagonists. A world adopting Rand's philosophy would be two dimensional at best...
Better objectivist than collectivist. There are too few influences that separate humans from herd animals like sheep and cows -- or keep us free of lynch mob mentality.

[Jekaterina]

To present her ideas to the reader, she forces way too many stereotypes upon her characters.
Of course, one can look at exaggeration (or even subtle exaggeration) as at a stylistic element or even device. So therefore to make her point she has to use those kind of "cardboard" characters.
But I like the characters in a book to be more special, unique. Not crazily unique, but in some little details.

[Truth_Told]

To present her ideas to the reader, she forces way too many stereotypes upon her characters.
Of course, one can look at exaggeration (or even subtle exaggeration) as at a stylistic element or even device. So therefore to make her point she has to use those kind of "cardboard" characters.
But I like the characters in a book to be more special, unique. Not crazily unique, but in some little details.
But, that is what makes the characters interesting. That is what, in a senses, gives them live. Their portrayal as deep characteristic people emphasizes on Ayn Rand's pont of view. As far as the sterotyping goes, it adds to their "flavor", their "crazily unique" detail you speak of is her central focus point.

[IrishCanadian]

But there is no depth. I don't really care for her philosophy so much, but the books I think are eve worse. Yes I respect the ideal of Dominique in that she is so ademant about her beliefs and so on. Nevertheless Ayn Rand got her point accross a good 500 pages before the book ended. If I didn't have to write an essay on it in highschool I never would have botherd finishing
YAWN

[simon]

While her ideas are drawing, her fiction lacks that element a narrative should have that sucks you in. So basically while her books are long and drawn out, that drawn is anything but drawing.

[starrwriter]

Has anyone else seen the film biography titled "The Passion of Ayn Rand"? If the movie is accurate, she was quite a strange woman in her private life. A sexual dominatrix and free love practitioner who was married to a door-mat husband. Also, the intellectual movement she led had cultish qualities she encouraged. The Russian soul always has a certain darkness in it.

[papayahed]

Has anyone else seen the film biography titled "The Passion of Ayn Rand"? If the movie is accurate, she was quite a strange woman in her private life. A sexual dominatrix and free love practitioner who was married to a door-mat husband. Also, the intellectual movement she led had cultish qualities she encouraged. The Russian soul always has a certain darkness in it.


I thought The fountainhead was an ok story - I skipped the long babbling entreaties about her philosophy.

Was she the one that died alone in her apartment without friends or family?

[Virgil]

From Starwriter

I agree with her about the importance of individualism and the dangers of collectivist thinking
and

Better objectivist than collectivist. There are too few influences that separate humans from herd animals like sheep and cows -- or keep us free of lynch mob mentality.

Star - We may have different outllooks of life (cynic versus idealist) but I bet we share the same life philosophy. How did that happen?

I too tried reading Rand and was disappointed. I don't remember if it was Atlas Shrugged or Founthead. Even though I probably agree with most of her philosophy, I didn't care for her writing. Too bad.

[starrwriter]

Star - We may have different outllooks of life (cynic versus idealist) but I bet we share the same life philosophy. How did that happen?

A cynic is just an idealist who grew old and saw too much go haywire. You're younger than me, so there's still non-hope for you.

[Truth_Told]

A cynic is just an idealist who grew old and saw too much go haywire. You're younger than me, so there's still non-hope for you.
a cynic hasn't necessarily seen everything go haywire, they have just seen things occur with many possible outcomes, some favoralbe others not so.

[starrwriter]

a cynic hasn't necessarily seen everything go haywire, they have just seen things occur with many possible outcomes, some favoralbe others not so.
Whoosh! The humor went right over his head.