The Fountainhead

Centennial edition cover
Author	Ayn Rand
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Philosophical novel
Publisher	Bobbs Merrill
Released	December 1943
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	752 pp
ISBN	NA

The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand. It was Rand's first major literary success and its royalties and movie rights brought her fame and financial security. The book's title is a reference to Rand's statement that "man's ego is the fountainhead of human progress," and is a more specific version of the book's theme, which is, in Rand's words, "individualism and collectivism in man's soul." Image File history File links Fountainheadcover. ... It has been suggested that The Ayn Rand Collective be merged into this article or section. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Philosophical novels are works of fiction in which a significant proportion of the novel is devoted to a discussion of the sort of questions normally addressed in discursive philosophy. ... The Bobbs-Merrill Company was a book publisher located in Indianapolis, Indiana. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) book is bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth or heavy paper) and a stitched spine. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... See also: 1942 in literature, other events of 1943, 1944 in literature, list of years in literature. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... It has been suggested that The Ayn Rand Collective be merged into this article or section. ... Royalties, sometimes simply referred to as royalty, is typically the sum of money paid to the proprietor or Licensor of Intellectual Property (IP) Rights for the benefits derived, or sought to be derived, by the user (the Licensee) through the exercise of such rights. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... eGO is a company that builds electric motor scooters which are becoming popular for urban transportation and vacation use. ...

Plot introduction

The Fountainhead examines the life of an idealistic young architect, Howard Roark, who prefers to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision by pandering to the prevailing taste in building design. The book was rejected by twelve publishers before a young editor at the Bobbs-Merrill Company publishing house wired to the head office, "If this is not the book for you, then I am not the editor for you." Despite generally negative reviews from the contemporary media, the book gained a following by word of mouth and sold hundreds of thousands of copies. The Fountainhead was made into a Hollywood film in 1949, with Gary Cooper in the lead role of Howard Roark, and a screenplay by Rand herself. This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... The Bobbs-Merrill Company was a book publisher located in Indianapolis, Indiana. ... ... See also: 1948 in film 1949 1950 in film 1940s in film 1950s in film years in film film Events Top grossing films North America Adams Rib Jolson Sings Again Pinky I Was a Male War Bride, The Snake Pit, Joan of Arc Academy Awards Best Picture: All the... Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper May 7, 1901 – May 13, 1961) was a two-time Academy Award-winning American film actor of English heritage. ... A screenplay or script is a blueprint for producing a motion picture. ...

Plot summary

Howard Roark and Peter Keating attend the same prestigious architectural school. Roark, a natural talent, strives to create for the sake of creation. Keating decided to become an architect out of pressure from his mother, though he originally wanted to be a painter. Keating graduates at the top of his class (with scornful assistance from Roark) and becomes a prominent partner at the firm of Guy Francon, the father of Dominique Francon. Keating realizes that he owes much of his success to Roark, and this causes Keating to resent him. Roark, however, is expelled from the school for refusing to allow the curriculum to dictate how he should create, and refusing to sacrifice effectiveness for the sake of tradition. Roark finds refuge with Henry Cameron, an architect who shares Roark's vision but whose formerly successful career has been destroyed by his own unwillingness to compromise. The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand. ... The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand. ... The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand. ...

Keating then gradually rises up the company ladder by sacrificing others. While Keating and Francon find great success for a time reproducing classic architecture, Roark labors in Cameron's dying firm. Cameron, defeated by society, soon dies; he tells Roark that there's 'something' he should find, that Roark's the answer to everything, and that all the problems in the world are represented by Gail Wynand. Despite some initial commissions, Roark is unable to sustain his own firm, which he began after odd jobs as a draftsman, and eventually takes a job at a granite quarry. It is here that he catches the eye of Dominique Francon, whose father owns the quarry (where she is seeking refuge from society), and has been impressed with the buildings Roark has created, even though she did not yet know that he was the architect. Dominique maneuvers Roark to her house, and allows Roark to rape her (this scene has been described as "rape by engraved invitation" and explained by Rand as "wishful thinking" [1], see also rape fantasy), beginning their love affair. Roark soon receives an important commission and returns to New York. A classic is an item that has become a ubiquitous and unique symbol or icon of a time gone by, mainly because of its inherent quality or its representative status. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A rape fantasy is a sexual fantasy about participating in a rape, a fictional story about a rape, or an acted-out scene of pretend rape between consenting adults. ...

Keating has fallen in love with a plain young woman, but his mother convinces him to submit to Guy Francon's desire for Keating and Dominique to fall in love. Dominique convinces Keating to marry her rather than the woman he truly loves, as a way of testing Roark and to show him that what she feels is the equivalent of what he's doing - giving herself to an unworthy world as Roark does with his buildings. In addition, Dominique embarks on a quest to hinder Roark's professional career, because she feels that the world is unworthy of Roark's creations.

In the meantime, through the machinations of Ellsworth Toohey (who happens to be the uncle of Keating's former love, Catherine), Roark receives a commission to build a temple to the human spirit. Roark creates a building with a nude statue of Dominique as its centerpiece, unaware that he is falling into a trap. Toohey convinces Roark's client (as he originally planned) that the building is in bad taste and poorly designed, and Roark is sued for damages. Roark proudly refuses to offer any defense, because he thinks that no defense would be effective if the judge can't understand the beauty of the building in the first place, and the money he loses in the suit is used to destroy the artistic integrity of his building. Toohey does this because Roark was building a name for himself, and wants him destroyed. Toohey destroys Roark because he wants to compromise geniuses like him and bring them down to his own level of mediocrity. The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand. ...

Again through the work of Toohey, Dominique and Gail Wynand meet, and Wynand falls in love with her, because she represents the egotistical image of humanity that he never really achieved for himself. Dominique, in an effort to further test Roark and to punish Keating, divorces Keating and marries Wynand. Wynand happens across photographs of the temple in its original form, and is aghast when he learns that his own newspaper played a crucial role in the building's destruction. Eventually, Roark meets Wynand, and the two men become friends, although Wynand is unaware of Roark's relationship with Dominique. Wynand sees in Roark a man that truly loves his work and thus can't be destroyed by Wynand's money or apparent cultural influence. Wynand, who is constantly trying to isolate Dominique from his work and the rest of society, does the same to Roark but fails completely, and becomes obsessed with the two. The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand. ...

The climax of the novel is precipitated by Keating's desperate request for Roark's help in designing a major housing project that he has been commissioned to build; Roark agrees to design the building, but on the condition that Keating not allow any changes to the design to take place. Keating makes a valiant effort, but is unable to prevent his associates (who were hand-picked by Ellsworth Toohey) from altering Roark's design, and the building is not built according to Roark's wishes. Roark, in a calculated move, blows up the building. Dominique, who aided in the plan, nearly succumbs when she inadvertently cuts an artery while faking injuries meant to conceal her role.

With Roark soon to stand trial for the crime, Wynand insists that his papers defend Roark to the fullest. However, Toohey's influence prevails, and the popularity of Wynand's papers plunges precipitously. Eventually, Wynand allows his partners (some of them, again, minions of Toohey) to override his insistences by joining the public opinion that Roark is a criminal, a move he realizes is suicidal for his pride and personal integrity, and his papers regain a portion of their popularity. Thus, Wynand realizes that control over others is inconsistent and without value. Following Wynand's betrayal of Roark, Dominique finally accepts the parameters of her love for Roark, earns a respect for his indifference to who sees his work and what is thought about it, and leaves Wynand.

Roark, at his trial, expounds at length about why he acted as he did, filling several pages and at the same time expressing ideas that would later become part of Objectivism. Roark is acquitted. The novel ends with Roark and Dominique married, and Roark accepting a final commission from Wynand to build the tallest skyscraper in the world in Hell's Kitchen (in the final scene, he is overviewing its construction from the top proudly, while Dominique rises to see him) as a monument to who Roark is and who Wynand could have been, had he not built his life around power over others. Objectivism is a philosophy[1] developed by Ayn Rand that encompasses positions on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, and aesthetics. ...

Characters in "The Fountainhead"

The major characters in the novel all represent different types of people, and essentially exist to contrast Howard Roark, who is Rand's image of the perfect man (and, to a lesser extent, contrast Toohey, who is shown as the absolute evil). Roark is the man who was 'as man should be,' who lives for himself and his own creativity, indifferent to the opinions of others. Dominique Francon is presented as the perfect mistress for Roark. Over the course of the novel she must learn not to fear society and not to let its flaws hinder her integrity. Gail Wynand is the 'man who could have been,' who rises from the poverty of his youth into an extremely rich and powerful position, but, in jealousy of his former 'superiors,' uses his superfluous talent not to create for himself, but to control others, which leads to his own demise. Peter Keating is 'the man who couldn't be, and doesn't know it,' who wants to achieve as well as make a name for himself, but lives off the support and condolence of others, which is what leads to his demise. Ellsworth Toohey, presented as the complete antithesis of Roark, is 'the man who couldn't be, and knows it,' who, pessimistic about his talent when he was young, sets out to destroy others through guilt and altruism, because he knows that this is the only way he can accomplish anything. The novel is split into four sections, named after Keating, Toohey, Wynand, and Roark; each section (though the plot is completely chronological) is named after the character which fully shows his own nature in each one. The last one, in which Roark achieves his final victory, is named after him.

Howard Roark

Howard Roark is the hero of the novel, whom Rand portrays as a paragon of Objectivist ideals (though, when the novel was published the term Objectivism had not yet been coined). He is an aspiring architect with a unique, uncompromising creative vision, which contrasts sharply with the staid and uninspired conventions of the architectural establishment. Roark takes pleasure in the act of creation, but is constantly opposed by "the hostility of second-hand souls" and those unwilling or afraid to recognize his creative ability. Roark serves as the basic mold from which the protagonists of Rand's other great novel, Atlas Shrugged, are cast. Roark is the paragon of a successful man as visualized by Rand. Objectivism is a philosophy[1] developed by Ayn Rand that encompasses positions on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, and aesthetics. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Ayn Rand, first published in 1957 in the USA. It was Rands last work of fiction before concentrating her writings exclusively on philosophy, politics and cultural criticism. ...

Dominique Francon

Dominique Francon is the heroine of the novel, described by Rand as "the woman for a man like Howard Roark." And Roark is Rand's ideal human. This is illustrated when Roark says that any man who comes looking for him is his kind of man. Dominique is the daughter of a highly successful but creatively inhibited architect. It is only through Roark that her love of pleasure and autonomy meets a worthy equal. She is the daughter of Guy Francon, Peter Keating's boss, who fears his daughter. Her intelligence, insight and observations are above his. These strengths are also what she initially lets stifle her growth and make her miserable. She begins thinking the world did not deserve her sincerity and smarts, because the people around her did not measure up to her standards. She starts out punishing the world and herself for all the things about man which she despises, through self-defeating behavior. She is held a protagonist, but is not (at least for the bulk of the novel) without flaw. She initially believes that greatness, such as Roark's, is doomed to failure and will be destroyed by the 'collectivist' vultures buzzing around them. She eventually joins Roark romantically, but before she can do this, she must learn to join him in his perspective and purpose.

However, Dominique Francon must learn the long hard way not to let a flawed society and misled zeitgeist inhibit her creative and emotional expression and drive, nor poison her hope in her own ideals. By the end of the story, Dominique no longer cares what anyone thinks or does. She lives her life for herself and no one else. She learns to love and create freely and passionately, and no longer cares whether or not the world is worthy of her expression. She has a new world now that is hers alone. Finally, it is the act of creating, loving, and living in which she finds happiness, rather than the results of these successes, no matter how good or bad the recognition may be. It no longer matters what might happen or what others think, because the happiness she finds cannot be taken away from her. She learns to be the change she wishes to see in her world. Her new world, that in which she sets the standards by which all will live in regards to any association with Dominique, is worthy of her beautiful mind and heart because it belongs to her and no one else, and is shared on her terms alone. That is, Dominique's terms as well as those with the same individualistic, objectivist and uncompromising ideals.

Gail Wynand

Main article: Gail Wynand

Gail Wynand is a powerful newspaper mogul who rose from a destitute childhood in the ghettoes of New York City to control the city's print media. While Wynand shares many of the character qualities of Roark, his success is dependent upon his ability to manipulate public opinion, a flaw which eventually leads to his destruction. Rand describes Wynand as "a man who could have been." It has been speculated that Wynand is partially based on real-life newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, since Hearst himself started by taking over his father's newspaper and spread from there. Furthermore, Hearst was known as the father of the Yellow Papers, which Wynand is known for in the realm of the Fountainhead. Gail Wynand is a major character in Ayn Rands novel The Fountainhead. ... A ghetto is an area where people from a specific racial or ethnic background are united in a given culture or religion live as a group, voluntarily or involuntarily, in milder or stricter seclusion. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1676 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area... William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper magnate. ...

Peter Keating

Peter Keating is also an aspiring architect, but is everything that Roark is not. His original tendency was to become a painter, but his opportunistic mother pushed him toward architecture where he might have greater material success. Keating's creative abilities are somewhat mediocre, but his willingness to build what others wish him leads to temporary success. He went to architecture school with Roark, who helped him with some of his less inspired projects. He is subservient to the wills of others - Dominique Francon's father, the architectural establishment, his mother, even Roark himself. Keating is "a man who never could be, but doesn't know it," according to Rand. The one sincere thing in Keating's life is his love for Catherine, which he expresses by never having sex with her - though she would have been willing and though he had sex with various girls who meant nothing to him - because in Keating's view having sex is equivalent to taking advantage of the partner, which he does not want to do to Catherine. Also, when finding out that Catherine is Ellsworth Toohey's niece, he refuses her suggestion to introduce him to her uncle - though an introduction to the influential architectural critic Toohey would help his career, and though in all other circumstances Keating is absolutely relentless and ruthless in furthering his career, even to the extent of bullying a sick old man and causing his death. Keating's offering to elope with Catherine is the one chance he has to break out of his false life and do what he really wants; Dominique arriving on that precise moment and offering to marry him for her own reasons, and his acceptance of the offer and betrayal of Catherine, seals his doom - and also the betrayed Catherine, who is left exposed to her uncle's machinations, is ultimately turned into a soulless robot. Keating's shocking last meeting with Catherine is reminiscent of the last meeting between the broken Winston Smith and Julia, in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four - as the demonic Toohey is reminiscent of Orwell's O'Brien, though working in more subtle ways with no need of secret police cells and physical torture. Peter Cushing as Winston Smith in the 1954 BBC Television adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four, with Donald Pleasence as Syme. ... Julia is the name of a fictional character from George Orwells dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. ... Orwell (or Orwellian) can refer to: The writer George Orwell (pen name for Eric Blair). ... Nineteen Eighty-Four (sometimes 1984) is a darkly satirical political novel by George Orwell. ...

Ellsworth Toohey

Rand describes Toohey as "a man who never could be, and knows it." Toohey is an architectural critic for Wynand's paper who uses his influence over the masses to hinder Howard Roark. Toohey is an unabashed collectivist, who styles himself as representative of the will of the masses. Having no true genius that such innovators as Roark possess, he makes himself excellent by manipulating the masses to believe that mediocrity is excellent. Toohey serves as the primary villain in the novel, and the gravest enemy of Objectivist ideals. Toohey is also the only character in the novel to have political goals. He is attempting to establish a dictatorship in America by altering people’s view of excellence; to destroy that which is great and spread the word that altruism is the ultimate ideal. This is put forward in one of his most memorable quotes: "Don’t set out to raze all shrines – you’ll frighten men. Enshrine mediocrity, and the shrines are razed."

Rand used her memory of the British democratic socialist Harold Laski to help her imagine what he would do in a given situation. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Harold Joseph Laski (Manchester, June 30, 1893 – March 24, 1950 in London) was an English political theorist, economist, author, and lecturer, and served as the 1945-1946 chairman of the Labour Party. ...

Main themes

Architectural theme

In addition to dedicating this book to her husband, Frank O'Connor, Ayn Rand also dedicated this book to "the noble profession of architecture." She chose the architectural profession for the analogy it offered to her ideas, especially in the context of the rise of the Modern Movement in architecture. In her hands, this profession becomes a convenient vehicle for portraying her views — that the ego is supreme, and individualism and selfishness are virtues to be treasured. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Analogy is both the cognitive process of transferring information from a particular subject (the analogue or source) to another particular subject (the target), and a linguistic expression corresponding to such a process. ... Le Corbusiers Villa Savoye, a well known example of modern architecture Modern architecture is a term given to a number of building styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and the elimination of ornament, that first arose around 1900. ... Individualism is a term used to describe a moral, political, or social outlook that stresses human independence and the importance of individual self-reliance and liberty. ... Selfishness is, at base, the concept and/or practice of concern with ones own interests in some sort of priority to the interests of others; it is often used to refer to a self-interest that comes in a particular form, or above a certain level. ...

The characters of Peter Keating and Howard Roark are placed in, as far as their careers go, antithesis to each other. Keating still practices in an eclectic/neo-classical/historical mould even when the building typology is modern like a skyscraper and is therefore dishonest and imitative. He is also accommodating of changes suggested by others. This mirrors the various eclectic directions and the general willingness to adapt at the turn of the twentieth century. Roark, however, rejects history, searches for truth and honesty and tries to express these in his works. He takes an uncompromising stand when changes are suggested in his buildings. This mirrors the trajectory of Modern architecture with its origins from dissatisfaction with earlier trends and its emphasis on individual creativity. The celebration of Roark's individuality can be seen in parallel with the eulogizing of modern architects as uncompromising and heroic "masters." Some have speculated that the character of Roark is based on the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright - though Rand and Wright denied this. Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture. ... The word typology literally means the study of types. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ... Look up Creativity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867—April 9, 1959) was one of the most prominent and influential architects during the first half of the 20th century. ...

Literary significance and criticism

Economist Mark Skousen criticized The Fountainhead on ideological grounds, arguing that Rand's protagonist contradicts a basic premise of laissez-faire capitalism (and therefore of Objectivism) — consumer sovereignty: "Howard Roark's conviction ["An architect needs clients, but he does not subordinate his work to their wishes."] is irrational... For Roark, A is not A. He wants A to be B — his B, not his customer's A. Thus, Ayn Rand's ideal man misconceives the very nature and logic of capitalism — to fulfill the needs of customers and thereby advance the general welfare."^[1] Mark Skousen is an American economist, investment analyst, newsletter editor, college professor and author of more than 20 non-fiction books. ...

Rand would respond that "In all proper relationships there is no sacrifice of anyone to anyone. An architect needs clients, but he does not subordinate his work to their wishes. They need him, but they do not order a house just to give him a commission. Men exchange their work by free, mutual consent to mutual advantage when their personal interests agree and they both desire the exchange. If they do not desire it, they are not forced to deal with each other. They seek further. This is the only possible form of relationship between equals. Anything else is a relation of slave to master, or victim to executioner." ^[2] According to Rand, the basis of capitalism is neither "to fulfill the needs of customers" nor to "advance the general welfare."

Lorine Pruette, a New York Times reviewer wrote that the book was "a hymn in praise of the individual... you will not be able to read this masterful book without thinking through some of the basic concepts of our times." ^[3] The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

Benjamin DeCasseres, a columnist for the New York Journal-American wrote of Roark as "an uncompromising individualist" and "one of the most inspiring characters in modern American literature." ^[4]

Library of Congress dispute

As Ayn Rand's heir, Leonard Peikoff inherited many of Rand's manuscripts. During her lifetime, Rand had apparently made a comment at one point saying that she would donate her manuscripts to the Library of Congress upon her death, a bequest she later had reservations about. Leonard Peikoff circa 1970 Leonard Peikoff (born 1933) is an Objectivist philosopher and author. ... A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus, written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ... The Great Hall interior. ...

The Library of Congress had no reservations, though. They continued to request the manuscripts, and demanded that Peikoff present them to the library. He considered his options, and after a heart attack in July 1991 he decided to turn over the manuscripts. He had his assistant box all of the manuscript pages except for two--the first and last pages of The Fountainhead--which he had framed. In their stead, he had the pages photocopied so that the manuscripts would be "complete." An appraiser went through the manuscripts and notified the Library of Congress about the replacement pages, but the Library of Congress replied that it was of no consequence. 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Some years later, Peikoff held an interview in his home with a reporter from the Los Angeles Times, and when asked about the pages (which had been framed and hung on the wall of his office), Peikoff joked about having "stolen" them from the Library of Congress. This apparently went into the article, and not long after that the Library of Congress contacted Peikoff and demanded that he return U. S. Government property. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the Western United States. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The government of the United States of America, established by the U.S. Constitution, is...

After consulting with his lawyer, Peikoff determined that there was not much he could do about his situation. While perhaps he had a right to keep the papers and even though they were legally his (his argument is that he had never donated them to the library, so they had never been property of the U. S. Government), and even though he might win a lawsuit against the government, the process would be long and expensive. So he signed a capitulation agreement, but supplied the condition that the Library of Congress must come and retrieve the pages themselves. This retrieval was videotaped by a friend.

Peikoff's personal narrative of the story and video of the manuscript pages' retrieval can be found on his website, Peikoff.com.

Allusions/references from other works

• In the book The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, the main character Charlie is assigned the book on a list of extra readings and comes to think of it as a mirror to his life.
• The rock band Collective Soul took their name from a term in part 4, chapter 11. Roark says to Gail Wynand:

"Gail... I didn't think that you'd ever admit that to yourself."

"Why not? I knew what I was doing. I wanted power over a collective soul and I got it. A collective soul. It's a messy kind of concept, but if anyone wants to visualize it concretely let him pick up a copy of the New York Banner [the newspaper Wynand owns]."

• The 1946 motion picture Without Reservations stars Claudette Colbert as the author of a novel in a similar tone as The Fountainhead who meets John Wayne on a train bound for Hollywood where her novel is to be made into a movie and actively pursues him for the lead. He reads the novel and openly mocks it as ridiculous nonsense.
• A worn paperback copy of the novel appears briefly in the movie Dirty Dancing. Robbie the waiter is setting the tables for breakfast, he shows the book to Baby and tells her to read it.
• Julia Farnsworth, played by Dyan Cannon, in the 1978 film Heaven Can Wait is seen reading the novel as she lies in bed.
• In the sixth season episode of the television show Barney Miller, entitled "The Architect" David Clennon plays an architect named Howard Speer who successfully destroys a building of his own design after changes are made to his original plans. Det. Arthur Dietrich figures out Speer's plans, after recognizing several of the architect's speeches as coming from the "Fountainhead." Attempting to explain Speer's plans to his superior Dietrich references the movie of the novel. Thinking back to the movie Captain Miller asks,"You remember Patricia Neal?" a reference to which Dietrich laconically replies, "Yeah. You remember Gary Cooper as the architect who blows up his own building?" Suddenly cognizant of the situation Miller attempts to reason with Speer but is interrupted by the clearly heard destruction of the building in question.
• In the original script of Cruel Intentions, Annette is reading The Fountainhead in the scene where she meets Sebastian at the swimming pool. When he compliments the book, she is surprised he knows the novel. Sebastian goes on to say, "I think the scene where Howard Roark makes love to Dominique Francon is the most romantic work in all literature." Annette replies, "Romantic? He rapes her." Sebastian finishes with, "That's a matter of opinion."
• In the Philip K. Dick novel A Scanner Darkly, Charles Freck plans on being found with The Fountainhead and an unfinished letter to Exxon after his suicide. The suicide attempt fails; this is the last scene of Freck in Dick's novel. The Fountainhead can be seen during the course of Freck's suicidally-derived hallucination in the cinematic adaptation of Dick's novel.
• A song by the Britpop group The Bluetones on their debut album Expecting To Fly was entitled The Fountainhead and included the lines: "Hell could feasibly freeze/But in your eyes I'll always be/The fountainhead/The boy whose thoughts keep running away/And you know I'm right..."
• In Spiral Architect's album A Sceptic's Universe, one of the tracks is named Fountainhead.
• In one episode in the second season of the TV drama series Gilmore Girls, the characters Rory and Jess discuss the novel over telephone.

• In season 3, episode 7 from the TV drama series Gilmore Girls, Rory calls Lorelei "the Howard Roark of Stars Hollow" after Lorelei displays indifference towards Kirk's problems during a dance marathon.
• A rock band called The Fountainhead released a CD titled "Voice of Reason", which is also the name of one of Rand's posthumous anthologies.
• The Nietzschean homeworld on the television show Andromeda is named Fountainhead.
• In episode 108 of the television show Andromeda, Tyr is shown reading a copy of the book.
• In the television series Desperate Housewives, Howard Roark's name appears as the architect of a golf pro-shop in episode 301.
• On the Rise Against album "The Sufferer and the Witness," the band recommends "The Fountainhead" to the listeners in the inside jacket
• The Paradise Towers story from the television series Doctor Who features a villain named Kroagnon, a psychotic architect who believes that human beings defile his buildings and fills them with lethal booby traps. Given that Kroagnon is a near-anagram of Roark, and that this period of the series was notable for overtly Socialist overtones, it is probable that the story was intended as a deliberate mockery of The Fountainhead.
• In the third season of Lost, in episode 12, titled "Par Avion," the character Sawyer can be seen reading a copy of this book while listening in on a conversation between Claire, Sun and Jin. Sawyer is also seen reading it again at a later point in the show.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an epistolary novel written in the 1990s by American novelist Stephen Chbosky. ... Collective Soul is an alternative rock/post-grunge band from Stockbridge, Georgia, USA. Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s they have enjoyed major commercial popularity on alternative rock and mainstream rock radio. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 - July 30, 1996), born Lily Claudette Chauchoin, was a French-born actress with a long career in Hollywood film, theater and television. ... John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), born Marion Robert Morrison (ref. ... ... Dirty Dancing is a 1987 romance film directed by Emile Ardolino. ... Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 comedy film directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry. ... Barney Miller was a comedy television series set in a New York City police station that ran from January 23, 1975, to May 20, 1982 on ABC. It was created by Danny Arnold (who also did work on Gilligans Island and The Brady Bunch) and Theodore J. Flicker. ... Cruel Intentions is a 1999 feature film starring Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair. ... A Scanner Darkly is a 1977 science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. ... Britpop was a British alternative rock genre and movement that was at its most popular in Great Britain in the mid 1990s. ... The Bluetones are an English indie rock band, formed in Hounslow, Greater London, in 1994. ... Expecting to Flyis an album by The Bluetones. ... Spiral Architect is a Norwegian technical metal band. ... A Sceptics Universe (released 2000) is the first and as of 2006 only full length studio album released by Spiral Architect, a Norwegian technical metal band. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... In the television series Andromeda, the Nietzscheans are a race of genetically engineered humans who quite religiously follow the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Social Darwinism and Dawkinite genetic competitiveness. ... Gene Roddenberrys Andromeda is a science fiction television series, created by Gene Roddenberry, but produced posthumously. ... Gene Roddenberrys Andromeda is a science fiction television series, created by Gene Roddenberry, but produced posthumously. ... For the episode guide of the series, see Desperate Housewives Episode Guide. ... Paradise Towers is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from October 5 to October 26, 1987. ... Doctor Who is a long-running British science fiction television programme (and 1996 television movie) produced by the BBC about the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as the Doctor, who explores time and space with his companions, solving problems and righting wrongs. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... Lost is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning serial drama television series that follows the lives of a group of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, somewhere in the South Pacific. ... James Ford, better known by the alias Sawyer, is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Josh Holloway. ...

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

Main article: The Fountainhead (film)

The film made in 1949 is based on the book and stars Gary Cooper as Howard Roark, Patricia Neal as Dominique Francon, Raymond Massey as Gail Wynand and Kent Smith as Peter Keating. The film was directed by King Vidor, with the screenplay written by Ayn Rand. One of the most interesting things about the film is the speech that Howard Roark gives at the end of the film. Ayn Rand wrote the entire speech, and demanded that it was read exactly as she wrote it. The director, King Vidor, initially agreed, but when shooting commenced on the scene, decided to tighten it up a bit. Upon hearing this, Rand called the head of the studio demanding the whole speech be filmed. Rand won out, and Vidor filmed the entire speech. The scene goes on for nearly 6 minutes. It is one of the longest speeches ever in a feature film. The Fountainhead is a film made in 1949 based on the book of the same name by Ayn Rand. ... Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper May 7, 1901 – May 13, 1961) was a two-time Academy Award-winning American film actor of English heritage. ... Patricia Neal (born January 20, 1926, Packard, Kentucky) is an Academy Award winning American actress. ... Raymond Massey photographed by Carl Van Vechten Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor. ... Dorothy McGuire and Kent Smith in Spiral Staircase Kent Smith (March 19, 1907 – April 23, 1985) was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theater and television. ... King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director. ... It has been suggested that The Ayn Rand Collective be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that The Ayn Rand Collective be merged into this article or section. ... King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director. ...

Footnotes

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in leap years). ...

Further reading

• Mayhew, Robert (2006). Essays on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0-7391-1578-2. 

See also

External links

• The Fountainhead at the Internet Movie Database
• The Literary Achievement of The Fountainhead
• Ayn Rand cover art
• Analysis, themes and essays on The Fountainhead
• The Annual The Fountainhead Essay Contest