How Ayn Rand became an American icon

by Rishi Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:40 pm

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2009/11/how_ayn_rand_became_an_american_icon.html

by Kris Sat Dec 31, 2011 3:36 pm

I read some of her works like Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead, when I was in my late teens. The philosophy seemed like a case of over-protesting. Several years later, I read that she had an affair with a guy (Nathaniel Brenden) and became overly dependent on him. There was also something about her being mechanically inept. So much for self-sufficiency.

by MaxEntropy_Man Sat Dec 31, 2011 4:57 pm

the woman's writing is mostly worthless except to indulge yourself in your teen years. the only book that i still like is her first novel we the living which is seldom mentioned.

by Guest Sat Dec 31, 2011 5:00 pm

I liked the way relationships played out in Fountainhead. I liked it more than the more-popular Atlas Shrugged, which was much more preachy.

by charvaka Sat Dec 31, 2011 5:02 pm

It is when I read We The Living -- after I read Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged -- that I realized what shit she went through that created the up-is-down worldview she forcefully advocated. She came up as a dinner topic last night, and I discovered that her books are still very much a rite of passage for Indian teens. I am sure advocates of capitalism felt besieged by socialism back in the day, and her books were a useful counterattack. But the current Tea Party crop that cite her as a major influence worries me.

by MaxEntropy_Man Sat Dec 31, 2011 5:05 pm

we the living is an autobiography i think at least in spirit. so it rings true. there is no character in the other two over-trumpeted tomes that seems to bear a remote resemblance to a real life human being.

by Kris Sat Dec 31, 2011 6:13 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:the woman's writing is mostly worthless except to indulge yourself in your teen years. the only book that i still like is her first novel we the living which is seldom mentioned.

>>>Can't recall if I have read "we the living". I wanted to revisit the other books at one point, but discovered I didn't have the patience.

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How Ayn Rand became an American icon

How Ayn Rand became an American icon

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