The Romantic Manifesto

A Philosophy of Literature

By: Ayn Rand

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

In this beautifully written and brilliantly reasoned collection of essays, Ayn Rand throws new light on the nature of art and its purpose in human life. Once again, Rand demonstrates her bold originality and her refusal to let conventional ideas define her sense of the truth.

Rand eloquently asserts that one cannot create art without infusing it with one's own value judgments and personal philosophy - even an attempt to withhold moral overtones only results in a deterministic or naturalistic message. Because the moral influence of art is inescapable, she argues, art should always strive to elevate the human spirit.

The Romantic Manifesto takes its place beside The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged as one of the most important achievements of our time.

©1971 The Objectivist, Inc. (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Coherent

So much nonfiction is just incoherent and obscure. This however is very well written. I do not agree with Rand on many topics but I respect her being honest and clear in expressing her opinion. As I was listening I was thinking this is not the Romanticism I was taught in school. Then I noticed Rand admitting that her definition of Romanticism was not the same as others. It is a bit dated. I think I detected a note of humor in the voice of the narrator when Rand recommends the short stories of O Henry.

Fuel for life

Every time I consume Rand, I am reinvigorated. Nobody moves me, motivates me, and inspires me like she does. The narrator was perfect. Easy listening. I couldn't stop.

what is art?

this book is an excellent explanation of what art is and is not. it explains how art is the crowning piece to philosophy. the purpose of art is to show and inspire man to the highest possible good.

Good book . . .

The part on literature is the best, which is about 3/5 of the book by length. The part on music and dance is the worst, which is about 1/5 of the book by length. The rest part of the book is on paintings which is OK. You will need to have read "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" both by Ayn Rand to better appreciate this "Romantic Manifesto" which uses the former two as examples on many occasions.

Understanding Art

Would you consider the audio edition of The Romantic Manifesto to be better than the print version?

Yes. Certain topics can be tough to navigate by text. Hearing it clearly and quickly i imagine will help with understanding some of the complexities involved in this philosophy.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ayn Rand of course.

Have you listened to any of Bernadette Dunne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. She was enjoyable.

If you could give The Romantic Manifesto a new subtitle, what would it be?

What Art Could Be

Any additional comments?

I dont know much in the area of the arts, but this book made me feel like i could still relate to it. why art is essential to man's existence and how the quality and consideration of what art is and can be should strive to convey real world meaning and validity yet present an idealized version of life as an artistic vision of what to strive for. I would be interested in hearing classically taught artists view on the subjects in this work. Rand maintains Art is not or should not be relative subjective hodgepodge but universal focused intention.