Ayn Rand

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Hearty Guy
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Re: Ayn Rand

Post by Hearty Guy »

Ayn Rand— I've never heard her books described by anyone as "fun," not even a teeny-weeny yellow bikini bit. Therefore am not inclined to tackle a 500+ page tome of hers. God forbid I should ever be assigned to read something as a long as The Fountainhead. Reading two or three really good reviews, so-called Helpful ones should suffice to be a little bit educated on her unique philosophy.
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Fran
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Post by Fran »

I would take issue with her philosophy, & I accept Atlas Shrugged & The Fountainhead are not what one might call "easy reads", nonetheless I still think both books are well worth reading. I would recommend We The Living as her most accessible book & probably the one I enjoyed most - I regret not reading it first before I tackled the other two.

Whether you agree with her or not she certainly does force you to think, which is never a bad thing.
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Job419
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Post by Job419 »

I have read Atlas Shrugged several times and I love it, but....... In it Rand lays out her philosophy of Objectivism, this does require quite a bit of "speechifying" by the characters and does slow down the novel. It is still well worth reading. Fountainhead is a much easier read and an excellent story as well, when anyone expresses an interest in Atlas Shrugged I always suggest they read Fountainhead first. We The Living is good too! As is Anthem. Anthem is a short book and has a very 1984ish feel to it.
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ALRyder
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Post by ALRyder »

What was it Ayn Rand said? Something about not being egotistical but an egoist? Anyway, I love the ideas behind her work, and the fact that she had those ideas in the era that she lived. Even if I didn't like her work, I would still have a certain amount of respect for her.

I always tell people who haven't read her to start with Anthem, or even We The Living. I never suggest Atlas Shrugged for newbies, though i loved it myself. It's a bit much to conquer if you don't already have an appreciation for her work.

Has anyone read Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right? I saw an interview with the author a few years back and thought it might be interesting.
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Hearty Guy
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Post by Hearty Guy »

Gsmith3286 wrote:I just finished Fountainhead on audiobook. I thought it was very good and very insightful, but the characters themselves seemed too unreal - almost comic-book-esque. As an accountant, I found myself asking many questions about the liklihood of events surrounding these building deals...since when does an architect act like General Contractor? I don't think Ayn understood the nuts and bolts of business but I like her philosophizing nonetheless. Ellsworth was my favorite character...
I've got it on audiobook too... this will make it more likely I actually finish it!
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Post by joecain »

OVERRATED! I hate to say it, since her works are such classics, but frankly, I just don't see it. I read Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead in high school, and both are just way too long for what they are. She has a very obvious point, and she could've made it effectively in about 100 pages. 1000+ pages later and you're still reading about the same thing.
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Post by ALRyder »

joecain wrote:OVERRATED! I hate to say it, since her works are such classics, but frankly, I just don't see it. I read Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead in high school, and both are just way too long for what they are. She has a very obvious point, and she could've made it effectively in about 100 pages. 1000+ pages later and you're still reading about the same thing.
Ha, this is why Anthem was so great. I find it amazing somebody could go from writing a tome like Atlas Shrugged to writing such a dinky novel like Anthem; though as I said I liked them both myself.
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Post by Loveabull »

DATo knowing my political leanings said I would hate her and I'll go with that...Since I haven't read her my kid was trying to dumb down the concept of the game BioShock...Something along the lines of Glen Beck declaring himself God and Disney creating an alternate universe...truly horrific :shock: :shock: :shock:
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Post by H0LD0Nthere »

Craigable wrote:I found Anthem to be a great prolonged exercise in the importance of singular personal pronouns. The world is a strange place indeed without them.
:lol: Very clever Craigable!

I had forgotten the name of the book I read, but from your description, it must have been "Anthem." The main character independently invents an electric light bulb working alone in a cave in his spare time, despite living in a stone age culture? He then runs away from his society and has his peak spiritual experience when he discovers that he can call himself "I" instead of "we"? He then looks into a stream, realizes that he is strong, smart, and drop-dead gorgeous, and hence superior to everyone else in his society except his Barbie doll love interest, and basically concludes, "I am God"?

Yeah, I read that.

Excuse the rant.
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Post by npandit »

She is a controversial person, because basically, her books explore her theory of objectivism, which states that the best thing a human being can do is act in the interest of himself. Her books usually then go on to illustrate how when people act in their own self-interest, they actually end up doing more good for society.

I think there is definitely a point to what she is saying, but that maybe there is more to the whole picture. But some people don't like this philosophy, and take offense to the idea that people should act in their own self-interest.

I've read two of her books: Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, and found both of them really interesting, despite the length; but like many authors that have written prolifically, there is quite a lot of overlap in the theme and types of characters. Despite this, though, her work can be very motivating.
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Post by Scorsee »

I find Rand's work to be really intellectually engaging...her writing style just gets my brain really excited about things. Often her arguments and ways of developing things help me understand my own views and arguments to support them. I really loved Anthem...it's one of my favorite books.
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Post by Bhavana »

Actually I quite liked Anthem...agree Fountainhead is over-rated and Atlas Shrugged meanders...
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Post by AMP76 »

I was first exposed to Rand as a teenager, when for whatever reason that is still unknown to me, a teacher recommended The Fountainhead. At the time, my only take-away from the book was the have’s and have not’s of the world. It is more than likely a topic for another post, but my husband and I have had the discussion that we did not appreciate that books we were told to read in high school and now looking back realize that we did not properly understand either the theme or the language or author or whatever “it” was that we were supposed to be getting out of the assignment, as such, we have both made concerted efforts to read the classics in our adulthood. Within the last five years or so, I have reconnected with Rand, and read Atlas Shrugged and Anthem, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. While reading Atlas Shrugged, I did a quick google, I did not even realize that Rand had turned to non fiction, nor that she was basically a founder of a philosophy. Admittedly, the philosophy came as no surprise, all of her work seems to impart her wanting to buck the system or to stand out, be individual, lest your you be taken away. I can understand that the blunt dialogue and obvious emphasis is a detriment to some readers, however, I applaud Rand’s ever present bravery in expression. I find Rand to be ever original and thought provoking.
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Post by Job419 »

AMP76. High schools ruin so many good books by making us read them before we can really appreciate them!
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Post by AMP76 »

Job419! Yes! My husband and I have often discussed our high school reading, we had no idea what was actually going on! Now (20 years later) we have both gone back to reread high school books and are like "what? I had no idea that was what that book was about!"
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