Fountainhead amends
I had written a scorching review of Ayn Rand when I was only halfway through Fountainhead. My perception was inevitably skewed because I hadn't finished reading the book. I feel compelled to write this entry in response to some comments I received(offline) back then.
I finished the book late last year and found that much like running, the first half of the book was the more difficult half.
Full of melodrama, I still find Dominique's character and her histrionics puzzling, but my indignation tapered significantly towards the end of the book. Everyone else (including Roark) seems more real to me. Using fewer words than Rand, let me try to sum up her message -- man is the source of all creativity, and it takes a formidable amount of integrity to be oneself. But things simply said rarely have the same import as a gripping narration embellished with dramatic descriptions and conversations, and so while one may think that what I've said is cliched, he/she may feel enlightened after reading Rand's book. And that, I think, is where Rand's mastery lies.
I still stand by all my comments in the earlier post but, with a generous dose of detachment, I believe now that one can read the book to completion and gain a new perspective on people (themselves included).
I finished the book late last year and found that much like running, the first half of the book was the more difficult half.
Full of melodrama, I still find Dominique's character and her histrionics puzzling, but my indignation tapered significantly towards the end of the book. Everyone else (including Roark) seems more real to me. Using fewer words than Rand, let me try to sum up her message -- man is the source of all creativity, and it takes a formidable amount of integrity to be oneself. But things simply said rarely have the same import as a gripping narration embellished with dramatic descriptions and conversations, and so while one may think that what I've said is cliched, he/she may feel enlightened after reading Rand's book. And that, I think, is where Rand's mastery lies.
I still stand by all my comments in the earlier post but, with a generous dose of detachment, I believe now that one can read the book to completion and gain a new perspective on people (themselves included).