I've never been able to make it through
Atlas Shrugged, though I intend to give it another try. I was blown away by
The Fountainhead, however, except for that one rape scene, which really distrubed me and made me think Rand is a bit of a nutcase with regard to sex. I very much enjoyed reading her non-fiction philosophy as well, even though as a Christian I don't agree with her condemnation and characterization of either religion or charity. I find her arguments well written and compelling, even when I disagree. She really wows me. For political non-fiction, it's some of the most interesting writing out there. Of course, I guess I'd find Lucifer's arguments quite attractive if he wrote philiosophical fiction...I try not to be too drawn in by Rand, but she did have one heck of an impact on me when I read her.
janetbellinger said:
Ayn Rand lost me when she had one of her heroines make her lover pay her back with merchandising services. What happened to doing somebody a favour for the sheer pleasure of it, with no expectation of persoanl gain?
Don't you know that's against her philosophy? Philanthropists are weak at best, manipulative at worst. Truly noble people take, they don't give. Speaking of weird sex--what about that rape scene in
The Fountainhead? She wrote it like it was a
good thing.
Inkdaub said:
I have always avoided Rand's work. The reason being that when it was described to me or discussed by friends who were Rand fans I got the vibe that there was an ideal running throughout of the welathy being wealthy because they work hard. That's just not true.
That's not really her point. Her point is more: the successful are successful because they don't take %$#@ from anybody, and people should seize their own success rather than becoming dependent on others. Collectivism is evil. Charity is for the weak (on the receiving end) and the manipulative (on the giving end). Poverty, wealth...it doesn't really come into the philosophy that much. Those who "succeed" aren't necessarily wealthy in her stories--some go through long periods of poverty like Roark--but they are
free. It's about freedom and independence more than it's about wealth.