Desiderius Erasmus once said: “When I get a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes”.
This thing holds true in my case also. So today I’m sharing views & memoirs about my all time favorite novel- The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
In the present era, novels are written as an article for any monthly magazine-It looses its importance in a month or so. But when it comes to everlasting literature, THE FOUNTAINHEAD is the name everyone is aware of. Written more than three decades ago, The Fountainhead was turned down by more than a dozen publishers naming it as too intellectual. But a masterpiece can’t be locked & kept in backyard for a long time, one day it’s bound to accomplish the purpose it is made for. After such a fierce competition in the market Fountainhead managed to survive in the all time bestseller list.
In the words of Ayn Rand:
“This is the motive and purpose of my writing; the projection of an ideal man. The portrayal of a moral ideal, as my ultimate literary goal, as an end in itself—to which any didactic, intellectual or philosophical values contained in a novel is only the means”.
“I write-and read—for the sake of the story….My basic test for any story is: Would I want to meet these characters and observe these events in real life? Is this story an experience worth living through for its own sake? Is the pleasure of contemplating these characters an end in itself?”
“Since my purpose is the presentation of an ideal man, I had to define and present the conditions which make him possible and which his existence requires. Since man’s character is the product of his premises, I had to define and present the kinds of premises & values that create the character of an ideal man and motivate his actions, which means that I had to define and present a rational code of ethics.
But neither politics nor ethics nor philosophy is an end in itself, neither in life nor in literature. Only Man is an end in himself.”
The main idea behind the novel is Ayn Rand’s portrait of an ideal man. -A man’s ego is Fountainhead of all the progressions in world.
Howard Roark an architect student is thrown out of Stanton Institute of Technology because of his nature of experimenting with his architectural work. With a strong heart and egotist mind he starts his struggle in the professional world. He remains unaffected by the moments of penury & frustration because of his even-minded approach towards life. A twist comes when the woman of his love-Dominique Fracon marries his worst enemy-Peter Keating.
Each and every piece of architecture created by him is criticized by the newspaper dailies but people with an eye for architectural master piece(only) appreciate his work.
Ayn Rand’s Fountainhead is a philosophy comparing two kind of people in society, the first kind: Egotist & dedicated towards their work-Howard Roark. Second one: Altruist & could do any thing in order to enjoy pleasures of world, having no moral characteristic-a reprobate-Peter Keating. It shows that a person of uncompromising wit is the final winner in any walk of life, & the path is strewn with thorns and hardships but finally it’s only the way worth living.
Answering the internal quest of a common person, The Fountainhead is truly a master piece created not for once generation but entire mankind. Victor Hugo once said: “If a writer wrote merely for his time, I would have to break my pen and throw it away.”
Philosophical books available today in market are in the form of advices where as the life of the author him self is controversial. Regarding this Ayn Rand quotes: “The essence of the bond between me & my husband is the fact that neither of us has ever wanted or been tempted to settle for anything less than the world presented in The Fountainhead. We never will.”
There are a rare breed of quality books available in the market today and The Fountainhead is a must read for every individual aspiring to be perfect in whatever he or she does.
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The Fountainhead –A book worth reading
Aug 21, 2006
| Tags: Books, Reading, Reviews | |
I like the "inernal quest" part of your review where one finds creative energy.
I hv really liked ur blog, read it today only while I was searching for swami Vivekanand's literature
Any way about Fountainhead, pls do'nt call Peter Keating as Howard's enemy. He is not worth it.isn't it the same situation as Howard telling Elsworth toohey 'But I do'nt think of you"