Essays on Ayn Rand&#039;s Atlas Shrugged

Robert Mayhew

doi:10.5771/9780739136362

Summary

While the fiction of novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand is extremely popular and enduring, little has been written on it so far. This book consists of essays, most of which are new, by top Rand scholars on Atlas Shrugged, her magnum opus. The essays deal with historical, literary, and philosophical topics, surpassing related writings in breadth and depth of analysis. The historical essays cover the writing of Atlas Shrugged, its publication history, and its reception. The literary essays cover analysis of the novel's plot, theme, and characterization; comparisons with other works, such as the novels of Hugo, Dostoyevsky, and Joyce; and the proper approach to adapting Atlas Shrugged to film. The philosophical essays cover a vast range of topics, including the place of Galt's speech in the novel, the role of the mind in human life, and the evil of non-objective law. Some of the essays make use of previously unpublished material from the Ayn Rand Archives.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2009
ISBN-Print: 978-0-7391-2779-7
ISBN-Online: 978-0-7391-3636-2
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 516
Product type: Edited Book

1. Contents No access
2. Preface No access
3. Acknowledgments No access
4. Bibliographical Note No access
Chapter 01. The Part and Chapter Headings ofAtlas Shrugged No access Pages 1 - 52
Chapter 02. Who Was John Galt? The Creation of Ayn Rand’s Ultimate Ideal Man No access Pages 53 - 78
Chapter 03. The Spirit of Francisco d’Anconia: The Development of His Characterization No access Pages 79 - 104
Chapter 04. A Note on Francisco’s Ancestry No access Pages 105 - 112
Chapter 05. Working for Ayn Rand: Selections from Facets of Ayn Rand No access Pages 113 - 122
Chapter 06. Publishing Atlas Shrugged No access Pages 123 - 132
Chapter 07. The Atlas Shrugged Reviews No access Pages 133 - 144
Chapter 08. Reply to Whittaker Chambers No access Pages 145 - 148
Chapter 09. Atlas Shrugged and the Metaphysics of Values No access Pages 149 - 166
Chapter 10. Atlas Shrugged as the Culmination of the Romantic Novel No access Pages 167 - 190
Chapter 11. A Tale of Two Novels No access Pages 191 - 194
Chapter 12. Adapting Atlas Shrugged to Film No access Pages 195 - 218
Chapter 13. Atlas Shrugged on the Role of the Mind in Man’s Existence No access Pages 219 - 252
Chapter 14. Ayn Rand’s Ethics: From The Fountainhead to Atlas Shrugged No access Pages 253 - 274
Chapter 15. No Tributes to Caesar: Good or Evil in Atlas Shrugged No access Pages 275 - 298
Chapter 16. The Businessmen’s Crucial Role: Material Men of the Mind No access Pages 299 - 316
Chapter 17. The Traits of Business Heroes in Atlas Shrugged No access Pages 317 - 334
Chapter 18. “Humanity’s Darkest Evil”: The Lethal Destructiveness of Non-Objective Law No access Pages 335 - 362
Chapter 19. The Role of Galt’s Speech in Atlas Shrugged No access Pages 363 - 374
Chapter 20. Galt’s Speech in Five Sentences (and Forty Questions) No access Pages 375 - 396
Chapter 21. Discovering Atlantis: Atlas Shrugged’s Demonstration of a New Moral Philosophy No access Pages 397 - 452
Chapter 22. A Note on Dagny’s “Final Choice” No access Pages 453 - 466
Appendix A: Outline of Atlas Shrugged No access Pages 467 - 500
Appendix B: Outline of Galt’s Speech No access Pages 501 - 504
Select Bibliography No access Pages 505 - 506
Index No access Pages 507 - 512
About the Contributors No access Pages 513 - 516