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 Some of the essays make use of previously unpublished material from the Ayn Rand Archives.

The first volume to offer a comprehensive scholarly treatment of Rand’s entire corpus (including her novels, her philosophical essays, and her analysis of the events of her times), this Companion provides vital orientation and context for scholars and educated readers grappling with a controversial and understudied thinker whose enduring influence on American (and world) culture is increasingly recognized. The first publication to provide an in-depth scholarly treatment ranging over the whole of Rand’s corpus Provides informed contextual analysis for scholars in a variety of disciplines Presents original research on unpublished material and drafts from the Rand archives in California Features insightful and fair-minded interpretations of Rand’s controversial positions

Do you want to better understand and appreciate the complex events, characters, and ideas of Ayn Rand's epic novel Atlas Shrugged? Explore Atlas Shrugged is an in-depth course consisting of study questions, podcasts, and other resources by philosopher Dr. Diana Hsieh. The course breaks Atlas Shrugged into 20 manageable sessions, each covering about 65 pages of the novel. The study questions found within this book -- over 1400 in total -- will help you better understand the novel on your own, as well as enable you to lead a successful reading group or class on Atlas Shrugged. In addition, you'll find plot synopses, character summaries, questions for a book club, and a FAQ on creating an Atlas Shrugged Reading Group. The online version of Explore Atlas Shrugged also includes over 22 hours of lively and engaging podcasting. Each podcast-one per session-is an in-depth look at the events, characters, and ideas from those chapters of the novel. To purchase access to those podcasts and other online resources, visit: ExploreAtlasShrugged.com Explore Atlas Shrugged will help you gain fresh insights into the complex events, characters, and ideas of Ayn Rand's epic novel-whether you've read it just once or a dozen times before.

Since its publication in 1957 Atlas Shrugged, the philosophical and artistic climax of Ayn Rand's novels, has never been out of print and has received enormous critical attention becoming one of the most influential books ever published, impacting on a variety of disciplines including philosophy, literature, economics, business, and political science among others. More than a great novel, Atlas Shrugged is an abstract conceptual, and symbolic work that expounds a radical philosophy, presenting a view of man and man's relationship to existence and manifesting the essentials of an entire philosophical system - metaphysics, epistemology, politics and ethics. Celebrating the fiftieth year of Atlas Shrugged's publication, this companion is an exploration of this monumental work of literature. Contributions have been specially commissioned from a diversity of eminent scholars who admire and have been influenced by the book, the included essays analyzing the novel's integrating elements of theme, plot and characterization from many perspectives and from various levels of meaning.

Rarely has a writer and thinker of the stature of Ayn Rand afforded us access to her most intimate thoughts and feelings. From Journals of Ayn Rand, we gain an invaluable new understanding and appreciation of the woman, the artist, and the philosopher, and of the enduring legacy she has left us.Rand comes vibrantly to life as an untried screenwriter in Hollywood, creating stories that reflect her youthful vision of the world. We see her painful memories of communist Russia and her struggles to convey them in We the Living. Most fascinating is the intricate, step-by-step process through which she created the plots and characters of her two masterworks, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and the years of painstaking research that imbued the novels with their powerful authenticity. Complete with reflections on her legendary screenplay concerning the making of the atomic bomb and tantalizing descriptions of projects cut short by her death, Journals of Ayn Rand illuminates the mind and heart of an extraordinary woman as no biography or memoir ever could. On these vivid pages, Ayn Rand lives.

Ayn Rand's masterwork, Atlas Shrugged, is a rich and complex novel with an intricate plot in which dozens of moving parts mesh together and many minor themes are woven in amongst the novel's big philosophical issues. This is a guide to the literary, historical, and philosophical significance of Atlas Shrugged, offering deeper insights for those who are new to the novel as well as new observations for longtime fans. Find out, for example, the real-life parallels to characters and events in Atlas Shrugged; how the novel's plot seems to be opposite from that of Ayn Rand's previous bestseller, The Fountainhead; what Ayn Rand has in common with the epic poets Homer and Hesiod; how Atlas Shrugged is both a historical novel and futuristic work of science fiction; how Ayn Rand was a philosopher in the tradition of the Enlightenment; why Atlas Shrugged is not a political novel; why all an Ayn Rand hero really wants is love; and the question posed in the title: the key to the mysterious figure of John Galt and the meaning of one of the most famous questions in literature, "Who is John Galt?"

Author and Rand scholar, Mimi Gladstein, brings the novel sharply into focus in this "Twayne Masterworks" volume. She explores Rand's personal history and the development of her unique philosophy, and takes a look at the critical reception of "Atlas Shrugged" and the overall importance of the work. The second half of the study contains an in-depth summary of the plot and a breakdown of how it fits into several different genres (science fiction, mystery story, Arthurian romance), a detailed reading of every character, and a survey of many of Rand's major and minor themes in the book.