Everything You Need to Know About the Fountainhead

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Scott Clem

Length: 1 hr and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

• Includes summary and analysis of The Fountainhead's plot, characters, and main themes.
• Includes a short introduction about the life and political philosophy of Ayn Rand
• Includes a table of contents

"The book is the story of Howard Roark's triumph. It has to show what the man is, what he wants and how he gets it. It has to be a triumphant epic of man's spirit, a hymn glorifying a man's 'I.' It has to show every conceivable hardship and obstacle on his way - and how he triumphs over them, why he has to triumph." (Ayn Rand, The Diaries of Ayn Rand)

Few novels have raised the kind of controversy and critical discourse that Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead has. Since its publication in 1943, Rand's book has been admired and exalted just as much as it has been dismissed and ridiculed. It has generated a veritable cult of diehard fans, with the book having sold in excess of six million copies in multiple languages, while others have subjected it to harsh, unyielding criticism. American philosopher Allan Bloom labeled it "hardly literature", while Canadian philosopher Mark Kingwell called it, "Rand's best work, which is not to say it is good."

Regardless of the praise and criticism, only a book of importance could have kept the public interest ignited so many years after it first surfaced, lending credence to its influence on international pop culture and politics if not the literary landscape. Moreover, its appeal may have as much to do with its controversial author as does the book itself.

©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2017 Charles River Editors