It is like the completion, the proper climax of this books history. I bought it from a used books store, as it appears on that best books of the century list im trying to follow. The fountainhead heres the imdb page for the 1949 movie version of the fountainhead. With characters that are gripping, settings that are par excellence, and dialogue that displays incredible depth, the book is a well rounded synthesis about the nature of individualism and what it means. These are some of the reasons why, for me, the most profound personal meaning of this new, anniversary edition is the fact that its jacket carries the reproduction of a painting by frank. The struggle for personal integrity in a world that values conformity above creativity is p. Although rands screenplay was used with minimal alterations, she later criticized the films editing, production design, and acting. But that i knew it over twentyfive years agothat i knew it while the 1. Published by the bobbsmerrill company, new york, 1943. Fountainhead definition of fountainhead by the free dictionary.
While in each part the omniscient narrator focuses on the individual after whom that part is named, roark remains a. In the fountainhead, why does dominique francon marry peter keating. The fountainhead originally provided, and continues to provide, a powerful inspiration to the individualist movement in america and throughout the world. An impassioned proponent of reason, rational selfinterest, individualism, and laissezfaire capitalism, she expressed her unique views in numerous. And one of rands provisional titles for the book was the mainspring. As the story opens, twentyoneyearold roark is expelled from the stanton institute of technology for insubordination. As in the fountainhead, we must take our clue from the title headings.
The fountainhead sparksnotes by ayn rand and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The title of the book is best explained by a conversation between francisco and hank rearden. Large government buyouts and regulation are the scourge of atlas shrugged and the outright sponsoring of mediocrity predominates the fountainhead. Feature adaptation of ayn rands novel about a young architect battling for his own artistic integrity. In spite of this excess of verbiage, the novel is a. I can understand how you feel, and thats why it would be hard to understand her novels without first knowing her philosophy and on top of that most of what she says in the fountainhead is contextual, which makes it even more confusing. A fountainhead is defined as the spring which provides the source of a stream. Howard roark, peter keating, ellsworth toohey, and gail wynand, all brought together to play different roles in the architecture industry. When the fountainhead was released in 1943, rands publishers did not expect much from it. To their surprise, the work quickly became a wordofmouth bestseller. The fountainhead was initially rejected by twelve american publishers, but was nevertheless published first in the united states and only later in other countries. It presents the idea that mans ego is the fountainhead of human progress. Epic in scope atlas shrugged is 1200 pages the two books make the case that selfishness is the ultimate human.
The fountainhead serves as an excellent introduction to both ayn rands writing and her philosophy of objectivism. Roark also, early on in the story, works in a stone quarry. Okay, so now that we have a basic understanding of the key components in book titling, lets get into my stepbystep process in coming up with a good book. Her notable works included the fountainhead 1943 and atlas shrugged 1957. The books title is a reference to rands statement that mans ego is the fountainhead of human progress.
One of the centurys most challenging novels of ideas, the fountainhead champions the cause of individualism through the story of a gifted young architect who defies the tyranny of conventional public opinion. Click download or read online button to get fountainhead book now. First edition second printing without first edition stated on the page but with all the textual errors on pages 321, 381, and 480. The fountainhead philosophy demands literature that can abet the understanding ofsocial views. With gary cooper, patricia neal, raymond massey, kent smith. Books similar to the fountainhead the fountainhead. Ayn rands the fountainhead presented an egoist character, howard roark, and portrayed him to what society needs, but unwilling to admit the necessitate. Before calling it the fountainhead, ayn rands working title was secondhand lives.
Fountainhead definition and meaning collins english. It is more than 700 pages long, and with a few sections being a little philosophically heavy, its a real task to read it. About the fountainhead cliffsnotes study guides book. The fountainhead essay examples download free or order. Well, our protagonist howard roark lives an original life of own choosing, inspired by the idea of individualism. Editions of the fountainhead by ayn rand goodreads. The fountainhead novel by ayn rand published in 1943 centering on the struggles of a young architect named howard roark. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Fountainhead definition of fountainhead by merriamwebster. She is known for her two bestselling novels, the fountainhead and atlas shrugged, and for developing a philosophical system she named objectivism. January 20 1905 march 6, 1982 was a russianamerican writer and philosopher. A fountainhead refers to an original source, like a refreshing springfed lake.
A poll conducted jointly in 1991 by the library of congress and the book of the month club showed that atlas shrugged was the second most influential book in the lives of the respondents behind only the bible and showed the fountainhead among the top twenty. Both roarkypoo and rands darling individualism are the fountainhead in the fountainhead. A crappy movie is a waste of time, so i really wanted the fountainhead to be good as a movie ignoring its philosophy. Easiest to specify is the books political and ideological significance. Review of the fountainhead and atlas shrugged scott h young. The fountainhead is a 1943 novel by russianamerican author ayn rand, her first major literary success. By the early 1600s, however, it was already beginning to be used figuratively in. She heard no twelve times before a dude over at bobbsmerill company decided to go for it. Roarks meaning of life differed from the others he associated with, which left him isolated toward them, but benefited his remarkable success in. How to title a book 2020 nyts bestselling book title. The fountainhead is a 1949 american, blackandwhite drama film from warner bros.
Atlas shrugged and the fountainhead are becoming more relevant as we head into 2009. Fountainhead of teacher education a century in the sheldon tradition by dorothy rogers and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The fountainhead was a surprise popular success that catapulted ayn pronounced to rhyme with mine rand to fame. Philosophically, these titles, derived from aristotle, refer to the basic axioms of logic. The fountainhead contains an undeveloped form of rands philosophical beliefs. When it first entered english in the late 1500s, fountainhead was used only in a literal senseto refer to the source of a stream. Beyond that, the book truly illustrates the haqqani networks centrality across the entire spectrum of the terms.
Not so with the film version of ayn rands hit novel the fountainhead, which is a paean to radical individualism. It was with the publication of the fountainhead 1943 and atlas shrugged 1957 that she achieved her spectacular success. Summer is mentioned more often than spring, but with less symbolic significance. The film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by ayn rand, who also wrote the screenplay adaptation. The novel celebrates reason, individualism, productivity, and creativity. If youve been following this blog over the last few months, youll know i just finished reading the fountainhead and atlas shrugged by ayn rand. Its theme of glorifying the independent mind not only captures the. The fountainhead continues to be an example of its own theme. Structural integration in the fountainhead and atlas shrugged. Fountainhead definition is a spring that is the source of a stream. It falls short, as do so many modern novels, in the apparent inability of the author or editor to be a ruthless surgeon.
Without reflective literature, man cannot begin to comprehendthe essential messages behind philosophy. Mar 10, 2020 a spring that is the source of a river. Jan 29, 2018 the word spring, referring to the season, occurs three dozen times in the novel. The fountainhead has been described in many ways, but at its core it is about the individual vs. One such philosophy, objectivism,is represented exceptionally by the timeless novel, the fountainhead. Figuratively, it means the origin of any movement or product of artistic or technological creativity, and might refer to an artistic or inventive individual or a place noted for a certain intellectual movement. Divine complexion with your host andrea calle definitely sober city and county of denver. Rand can be longwinded, but these two books are must reads regardless of your own personal beliefs. Rand did extensive research while writing the novel. The fountainhead, which became one of the most influential and widely read philosophical novels of the twentieth century, made ayn rand famous. All of the major intellectual themes that inform rands fiction and her subsequent philosophy are presented clearly in this novel.
I mean, maybe the formal elements of film cinematography miseenscene sound editing, along with the acting, would make ayn rands story more enjoyable. Jun 30, 2010 but when common literary terms are applied to so individual a book as the fountainhead not a page of which could be mistaken for anything other than a page of the fountainhead, by ayn rand those common terms lose much of their usefulness. Fountainhead download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Today, the fountainhead has achieved the status of a modern classic. But there was one common wellloved book among men that if i saw, i ran a mile. The story would have been faster paced, the characters more sharply limned, had whole episodes, repetitive and tautological, been eliminated.
Man and nature in the fountainhead the atlas society. Ayn rand introduces confusing concepts in her novel the fountainhead. Novel by ayn rand published in 1943 centering on the struggles of a young architect named howard roark. The fountainhead new hampshire state library overdrive. The fountainhead, hightech, juicy and full of pulp. Fountainhead by rand, first edition, bobbs merrill abebooks. Howard roark is the main character in the fountainhead and plays the role of a struggling architect who encounters love, destruction, and heartbreak. Dominiques marriage to peter keating is one of deliberate selftorture. Below is a quotation within atlas shrugged from that discussion part 1, page 422.
The story is supposed to be about sticking to yourself and doing things for yourself. Fountainhead definition and meaning collins english dictionary. The fountainhead takes place in the united states, mostly in new york city, during the 1920s and 1930s. It can be called a novel in roughly the same way in which the architectural creations of its protagonist, howard roark, can be called houses, apartment complexes, filling stations, and office buildings. How different are all these books in terms of their title. But ayn rand always takes that to a dangerous extreme. Fountainhead definition of fountainhead by the free. While the fountainhead became a best seller within a few years after its 1943 publication, anthem never made the bestseller lists. A fountainhead is also a stone that is sometimes used for countertops. More than any other work, the fountainhead reawakened popular enthusiasm for a way of thinking, and a way of life, that in 1943 was regarded by virtually every sector of. Her idea for the book was to contrast the firsthanded independence of her hero, howard roark, with other characters who are variations on the theme of secondhandedness.
This lesson will introduce characters, provide a summary, and give an analysis of the book. The fountainhead, ayn rand the fountainhead is a 1943 novel by russianamerican author ayn rand, her first major literary success. Having grown up in the totalitarian dictatorship of the soviet union. Do you mean the title of the fountainhead by ayn rand. Few films have ever so explicitly expressed a political ideology. He a creative force, the beginning of all that is good and noble in this world. The four men whose names serve as the titles for the four parts of the fountainheadpeter keating, ellsworth toohey, gail wynand, and howard roarkare the main characters of the novel, but roark is the undisputed protagonist. If you feel that gary cooper as howard roark was the weirdest casting ever, join in on the message boards. The fountainhead of presuppositionalism the continuing. Rands unique philosophy, objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. Ayn rand actually worked on the script for this movie, which starred gary cooper and patricia neal. The fountainhead nyt critics pick off broadway, drama, experimentalperf. Born february 2, 1905, ayn rand published her first novel, we the living, in 1936.
But before that, lets get to the most important aspects of naming a book. The revolutionary literary vision that sowed the seeds of objectivism, ayn rands groundbreaking philosophy, and brought her immediate worldwide acclaim. Rands fourth and final novel, it was also her longest, and the one she considered to be her magnum opus in the realm of fiction writing. I have since discovered it is one of donald trumps favourite books. The novel begins as howard roark is expelled from stanton and peter keating graduates. The fountainhead is a novel about the ideals of four characters. Donald trump has quoted rands novel fountainhead as his favourite book, though his book reading habits are doubtful. Atlas shrugged includes elements of science fiction, mystery, and romance, and it contains rands most extensive statement of objectivism in any of her works of. While most people consider atlas shrugged her most important work, the fountainhead was responsible for ayn rands sudden leap into public life rand took extensive preliminary notes for all of her books. This idea of living a secondhand or conventional life crops up near the end of the book in a scene with roark, the protagonist, and his frenemy gail wynand. The novels protagonist, howard roark, is an individualistic young architect who designs modernist buildings and refuses to compromise with an architectural establishment unwilling to accept innovation. For sale is a brand new facsimile reproduction dust jacket for the 1st edition of the fountainhead by ayn rand also available in the 2nd issue jacket. When she was writing the book that was to become the fountainhead, rand used a different title. Much like howard roark had a hard time finding a client for his innovative architectural designs, ayn rand had a hard time finding a publisher for the fountainhead.
Book summary the fountainhead takes place in the united states, mostly in new york city, during the 1920s and 1930s. In so doing, they serve as an important thematic pointer, indicating the special significance the theme of reason plays in. Nelson english iii honors february 28, 20 the fountainhead ayn rand wrote the very prestigious novel known as the fountainhead, filled with love, tragedy, and the complications of life and the world we live in. Click to tweet 5 steps to choosing your book title. Ayn rand, russianborn american writer whose commercially successful novels promoting individualism and laissezfaire capitalism were influential among conservatives and libertarians. Although rands screenplay was used with minimal alterations.
Smith goes to washington to dave, most mainstream hollywood films that deal with politics have delivered a populist message. Initially rejected by twelve publishers as too intellectual, the fountainhead became a best seller within two years purely through word of mouth, and earned rand enduring commercial and artistic success. It chronicles the struggles of the innovative architect howard roark in his effort to achieve success on his own terms. With characters that are gripping, settings that are par excellence, and dialogue that displays incredible depth, the book is a well rounded synthesis about the nature of individualism and what it means to be human. What is the significance of the title the fountainhead in.
An uncompromising, visionary architect struggles to maintain his integrity and individualism despite personal, professional and economic pressures to conform to popular standards. Even to classify the fountainhead as a novel seems slightly beside the point. In her novel, the fountainhead, ayn rand explores the struggle between the individual and society. She wanted the novel to be imbued with a spirit of individualism and to convey the idea that mans ego is the fountainhead of human progress the fountainhead, front matter. And in one of rands double entendres, a fountainhead is the source of a spring.