Here are the answers to Part 2 of this week’s questions
POWER AND GLORY – THE KEY IDEAS AND CRUSADING LIVES OF EIGHT DEBATERS OF REASON VS FAITH
RAND : A PHILOSOPHICAL NOVELIST DEFENDS REASON – OBJECTIVELY SPEAKING
WEEK 2
- An ideal man, a man of reason
Q3. Describe theme, plot theme, and main character of “The Fountainhead”? How does the theme represent Rand’s overall progression as a writer?
Ans: The theme of novel was ethical, a defense of rational egoism, specifically the “virtue of independence”. Main character of the novel was an architect who designed buildings guided not by traditions, social approval, or personal whim. But by using reason to understand the nature of each site, the building’s materials, and the client’s needs.
The struggle of the architect to uphold his integrity and independence against different type of people in society is the plot-theme of novel. Type of people ranging from antagonistic Dominique and Wayanand, to mostly resenting Keating, to the ideological foe Toohey.
[ References:
a.) For the portrayal of the ideal man being a step towards “Central Purpose of Life”, Ayn Rand by Britting, p52-53
b.) For the theme of “The Fountainhead” being the conflict between “individualism and collectivism”, Art of Fiction by Ayn Rand.]
Q4. How did study of Ethics and Politics contribute to Ayn Rand’s central purpose in life, presenting ideal man that is?
Ans: Since Ayn Rand’s purpose was presenting of an ideal man, she had to define and present the conditions that made him possible, and which his continued existence required. Since man’s character is the product of his philosophical premises, she had to define and present the kind of premises and values that create the character of an ideal man and motivate his actions; that is a rational code of ethics. Since man acts among and deals with other men, she had to present the kind of social system that makes it possible for ideal men to exist and to function – a free, productive, rational system, which demands and rewards the best in every man, great or average, and which is obviously, laissez-faire capitalism.
[Reference: For the description of her process of developing an ideal man in society, Romantic Manifesto, p-163, Rand.]
Q5. How was the method of writing “The Fountainhead” different from writing “We The Living”? What preparations did she do for “The Fountainhead”?
Ans: Unlike We The Living, characters of The Fountainhead were not historical individuals. The setting also was not a particular historical period, the years after the Communist Revolution in Russia being the setting for We The Living.
In The Fountainhead, Rand’s characters are literary abstractions. She examined individuals in her own time and abstracted certain qualities, the essential(explanatory, causal) characters that made them recognizable ethical types. While still having descriptive touches, the “concretes”, that make them particular individuals. This method of integration of abstractions and concretes became a hallmark of her fiction writing.
Preparations for “The Fountainhead”
Rand did mainly three tasks prior to start of writing “The Fountainhead”(working title of which was “The second hand lives”) in June 1938.
a.) Researched architecture as a field.
b.) Worked in architect’s office.
c.) Took notes and built outline.
[References: For Rand concretizing abstractions in her fiction, and also the preparations she made : Shoshana Milgram’s essay “The Fountainhead from Notebook to Novel” in Robert Mayhew’s Essays on Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead.]
Q6. What was the theme and style of Anthem?
Ans: Rand wrote novelette(a small novel) in 1937. Its theme was egoism, and its style was prose-poem.
(Prose-poem is the type of poetry characterized by its “lack of” line breaks)
[References: Britting, Ayn Rand, p53.]
Q7. What was her purpose of writing journals?
Ans: The journals were the place for Ayn Rand to think aloud about emerging philosophical and literary issues.
[Journals by Ayn Rand by David Harriman - “First Philosophic Journal” and “Notes while writing Galt’s speech”.]
Q8. Why did she join political campaign in 1940 presidential election, and why did she later abandon it? Which intellectual skill did she start developing here?
Ans: She joined campaign against increasingly statist President Roosevelt. She did so by aligning with pro-market economy intellectuals who worked for the campaign of Republican candidate Willkie.
She became dismayed by Willkie’s presidential campaign because it was unprincipled.
During the campaign she engaged in public speaking, a form of communication that was new to her.
[For Rand’s political and socio-intellectual activities around 1940, Ayn Rand by Britting, pp 57-58 and 61-62.]
Q9. How Ayn Rand engaged and expanded her social network?
Ans: To discuss and examine foundations of free market in philosophy, she wrote many letters, some to other intellectuals such as Issabel Paterson. She focused on ideas that intrigued her, some of which were later published. After publication of “The Fountainhead” she got letters from the readers. She responded to them in letters, which were sometimes as big as 10 pages. [1]
She also tried to organize conservative intellectuals and businessmen to explore foundations of reason, but failed. [2]
From the section “THE FINAL NOVEL”
[Prior to moving to New York] At her home near Hollywood, she entertained numerous visitors ranging from local college political science class to fans, publishers, writers, and actors. She discussed Philosophy, as she considered the subject as the matter of “Life and Death”, and her words and emotions expressed her evaluations.[3]
In early 1950s, while writing “Atlas Shrugged” her network continued to grow. It included young readers who wanted to know about the philosophy behind the novel, since the philosophy in the novel was only partially spelled out. It included Nathaniel Branden the psychologist, Leonard Peikoff a young student, and Alan Greenspan an Economist.[4]
(There may be more instances in later sections that I have not integrated here.)
[ References :
-
For selections of Rand’s letters to Patterson : Letters by Rand, p61, Ch 5, 1943-1948, the end of friendship.
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For Rand’s attempt to work with Conservatives and Businessmen, Ayn Rand by Britting, pages 61 and 65.
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For the quotation about Rand concertizing, in personal terms, the statements of philosophers, Ayn Rand by Britting, p76. This was further cited from Ayn Rand : Sense of Life by Layton.
- For Philosophical admirers joining Rand’s network, Ayn Rand, by Britting, p88].