Literary analysis the personal motifs and individualistic approach is more important in arts and architecture. This book appeals to me because ayn rand is a revolutionary female author who has gone against convention of her time. Ayn rands novel the fountainhead contains themes that resonated so significantly with readers that it triggered a political movement, and assisted in forming the libertarian party. Jonatha da silva ap english 4 the fountainhead by ayn rand what do you believe ayn rand was saying about society and its structure when she had roark expelled from stanton institute of technology. The revolutionary literary vision that sowed the seeds of objectivism, ayn rands groundbreaking philosophy, and brought her immediate worldwide acclaim.
Fountainhead essay examples download free or order. In her novel, the fountainhead, ayn rand explores the struggle between the individual and society. The fountainhead tells the story of a few people in new york of the 20s30s. These free notes consist of about 105 pages 31,227 words and contain the following sections. In crime and punishment, for example, fyodor dostoyevsky emphasizes the tragic outcome of rodion romanovich raskolnikovs obsession with rationalization. Theme analysis nonconformity many of the characters in the fountainhead are described as nonconformists to illustrate rands idea that nonconformity, which is popularly believed to be a breaking away from social convention, is simply another version of it. The book itself is a masterpiece of stark writing and strong characterizations, but the message is both deadly and evil particularly when taken to the extreme to.
Customers love roarks concept and design, and they flock to it. Part one cliffsnotes study guides book summaries, test. Wouldnt it be more pleasurable to sit on the beach, go skiing, have a few glasses of wine, have some sex, eat an eclair, play some video games, or take a nap. The fountainhead originally provided, and continues to provide, a powerful inspiration to the individualist movement in america and throughout the world. The fountainhead by ayn rand essay example topics and well. However, when reading the first chapter of the book, i. The fountainhead is a 1943 novel by russianamerican author ayn rand, her first major literary success. The fountainhead ayn rand the fountainhead literature essays are academic essays for citation. A feminist critical reading of the fountainhead english. The fountainhead free essay, term paper and book report. The fountainhead is one of those great books that everyone should read. The fountainhead was the foremost embodiment of objectivism. Although rands screenplay was used with minimal alterations.
The fountainhead is a novel by ayn rand that was first published in 1943. Ellsworth toohey, the novels villain, is a marxist intellectual, preaching socialism. Equalitys escape from collectivism no creator was prompted by a desire to serve his brothers, for his brothers rejected the gift he offered and that gift destroyed the slothful routine of their lives rand, the fountainhead. Roark is a brilliant young architect of the modern school, whose bold and innovative designs are rejected by large segments of society. Reallife examples are those modern artists who rebel against beauty by deliberately making their works as ugly as possible, and the hippies. Briefly, it says that any person, system or social structure that blocks a persons freedom or talent is evil. Summary as the novel opens, the hero, howard roark, has just been expelled for. The fountainhead is a masterpiece, integrating theme and plot. Summary in the spring of 1935, howard roark completes a summer resort, monadnock valley, in the mountains of pennsylvania.
The house turned and followed the sun, flowerlike throughout the day, but to withstand the cold of night, it closed itself in, like a giant flower, with the. The fountainhead was a surprise popular success that catapulted ayn pronounced to rhyme with mine rand to fame. When the fountainhead was first published, ayn rands daringly original literary vision and her groundbreaking philosophy, objectivism, won immediate worldwide interest and acclaim. In howard roark, she presented for the first time the uniquely ayn rand hero, whose depiction was the chief. Summary and analysis part four howard roark the fountainhead.
This onepage guide aa plot summary and brief analysis of the fountainhead by ayn rand. The fountainhead takes place in the united states, mostly in new york city, during the 1920s and 1930s. Human reason in the fountainhead michael jin from aristotle to modern times, the faculty of human reason has been the subject of contrasting depictions in literature. See a complete list of the characters in the fountainhead and indepth analyses of howard roark, ellsworth toohey, dominique francon, gail wynand, and peter keating. The fountainhead has become an enduring piece of literature, more popular now than when published in 1943.
Does this representation of these characters change the meaning of the novel. The obvious example of collectivism in the fountainhead is the political one. Enough praises for now, let me say in brief what the book is about. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes the. In the novel, peter keating and howard roark attend stanton institute of technology together. And there is another obstacle to literary assessment the difficulty of. Heroism in ayn rands the fountainhead essay example. Ayn rand was saying that society may not believe or care with someone elses prospective and point of. As the story opens, twentyoneyearold roark is expelled from the stanton institute of technology for insubordination.
The fountainhead summary back in the 1920s, two dudespeter keating and howard roarkfinish architecture school and embark on their careers. The fountainhead essay examples download free or order. 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. Books similar to the fountainhead the fountainhead. Russianamerican writer ayn rand found her first widespread fame in the literary arena. Ayn rands two most famous novels the fountainhead 1943 and atlas shrugged 1957 are among the greatest wordofmouth hits in american publishing. The story would have been faster paced, the characters more sharply limned, had whole episodes, repetitive and tautological, been eliminated. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the fountainhead. An analysis of the differences between peter keating and howard roark. Monadnock valley is both an artistic and a commercial triumph. Power of the moral ideal in the fountainhead the fountainhead is a novel of gigantic proportions. In it he states that it is the architects job to bring architecture to the people.
Written in 1943, the fountainhead introduced new views on rands philosophy, objectivism. The house turned and followed the sun, flowerlike throughout the day, but to withstand the cold of night, it closed itself in, like a giant flower, with the passing of light bradbury 2, 5. Character analysis catherine halsey early in the story, katie is a sincere, goodnatured girl, genuinely in love with peter keating. She later states its theme as individualism versus collectivism, not in politics, but in mans soul. Analysis of altruism in the fountainhead 1178 words 5 pages. The fountainhead is a 1943 novel by russianamerican author ayn rand, her first major. Howard roarks speech in the fountainhead is nevertheless an excellent example of epideictic oratory. It is a story of individualism fighting collectivism. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the fountainhead and what it means.
Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The free the fountainhead notes include comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. The film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by ayn rand, who also wrote the screenplay adaptation. 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. Rand means that everything good flows from a source, and that source is a persons rational action for his own sake, i. A good example of a nonconformist in the fountainhead is lois cook, the. The power of the moral ideal in the fountainhead essay 48 words 6 pages. The fountainhead essay human reason in the fountainhead. The fountainhead essay examples, ap literature high score essay examples, service writing for dummies, how to come up with titles for literature essay getting writing help is so easy with us choose the type, level, urgency, and length to start off. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of the fountainhead. Even to classify the fountainhead as a novel seems slightly beside the point. Fountainhead and the open boat in todays world there are many kinds of people that do things at their own free will. The film was directed by king vidor howard roark, the hero of the story, is an architect whose style tends toward being modernistic.
Howard roark, in ayn rands the fountainhead essay example. In her first notes for the fountainhead, ayn rand describes its purpose as a defense of egoism in its real meaning. When she was writing the book that was to become the fountainhead, rand used a different title. The fountainhead celebrates the heroism of the men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. All the content of this work reflects his personal knowledge about howard roark, in ayn rands the fountainhead and can be used only as a source for writing a similar paper. When austen heller speaks to roark about why he loves his house, roark explains to him that a house can have integrity. Summary and analysis part one peter keating cliffsnotes. In the novel the fountainhead it is shown that people made their own decisions to go where they wanted to go in their own free will. His personal values are strong and he will not compromise on his art. A good example of a nonconformist in the fountainhead is lois cook, the avantgarde writer who rebels against the rules of grammar in her writing and against the rules of personal hygiene in her grooming.
Having been previously warned of this somewhat insane, entirely selfish philosophy, i entered the book with an indisputable bias. The fountainhead by ayn rand and the open boat by stephen crane. The fountainhead is a 1949 american, blackandwhite drama film from warner bros. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.
Problem is, everyone else where he lives likes to recycle old styles, so howard is more of an acquired. There are 5 characters about whom a lot is written, and these are the main characters of the book. On the surface, it is a story of one man, howard roark, and his struggles as an architect in the face of a successful rival, peter keating, and a newspaper columnist, ellsworth toohey. You are spending this lovely day reading all of these texts, watching the fountainhead, and writing a paper. Throughout the fountainhead, rand emphasizes that integrity is one of the distinguishing qualities between men who have retained their sense of self and men who have completely destroyed their egos, subordinating themselves to the ideas of equality and altruism. Peter keating graduates with top honors and goes to work for a hotshot firm in new york, headed by a dude named guy francon best name ever, in our notsohumbleopinions. One of those rare polarized treasures that play on your mind for a long long time. The beliefs of the egotist are one who is selfish, and arrogant. Toohey publishes his sermons in stone in 1925 to immediate acclaim. 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. This instant classic is the story of an intransigent young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love. It was made into a 1949 film starring gary cooper and patricia neal, with rand herself writing the screenplay. The fountainhead often referred to as a novel of ideas, brings some illuminating claims surrounding selfishness and selflessness to surface. Heroism in the fountainhead the fountainhead is a story about heroism.
It falls short, as do so many modern novels, in the apparent inability of the author or editor to be a ruthless surgeon. Jan 20, 2004 the fountainhead tells the story of a few people in new york of the 20s30s. However, when reading the first chapter of the book, i began to feel a connection with the characters. The literary achievement of the fountainhead the atlas society. 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. Though she had not been a great high school student, she planned on going to college, a goal supported by keating but not by toohey, her uncle. A writers life lexicon creators a core tenet of ayn rands philosophy, objectivism, is the importance of a central, productive purpose in an individuals life. The novel is a triumphant cry of protest against all those who insist that life is about mediocrity. The fountainhead free essay, term paper and book report the fountainhead within the fountainhead novel, howard roark illustrates the differences in personalities of an egotist and an altruist through his courtroom speech. 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.
Influence and integration of symbols symbolism is used throughout the fountainhead to represent characters, and the transformations that they endure. She has shown a lot of courage and more so, steel to take the kind of stand that she has taken. 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. This lesson will introduce characters, provide a summary, and give an analysis of the book. Although ayn rand does not base roarks life on the specific events of frank lloyd wrights life, roark does possess many of the qualities and face many of the obstacles that the great, reallife, american modernist did. This lesson will introduce characters, provide a summary. It chronicles the struggles of the innovative architect howard roark in his effort to achieve success on his own terms. The fountainhead by ayn rand and the open boat by stephen. Easiest to specify is the books political and ideological significance. Easiest to specify is the book s political and ideological significance. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. It lays out the basic position of all of ayn rands writing. Comprised of actual customer comments posted on, an internet bookseller. Roark is expelled from school for turning in building designs that are deemed too modern and for challenging the norms of contemporary architecture.
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