The Fountainhead
Architect defies convention
A 1943 novel by Ayn Rand, centered on an uncompromising architect who refuses to subordinate his creative vision to conventional expectations.
The book became a touchstone for individualism and has influenced generations of readers drawn to its celebration of artistic integrity and self-determination.
The title suggests an original source—the wellspring of creativity that flows from the independent mind.
Objectivist movement founder
- individualismDoctrine of personal independence
- egoismDoctrine of self-motivation
- capitalismPrivate profit-based economy
- reasonBasis or justification
selfishness · laissez-faire · free market · ethics · philosophy · productivity · achievement · property rights
Objectivist movement founder
- protagonistStory's central figure
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- narrativeAccount of events
- characterizationDescribing distinctive qualities
theme · fiction · prose · bestseller · classic · literary · critique · authorship
Depending on oneself alone
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- independenceFreedom from external control
- nonconformityRejection of prevailing norms
- originalityNovel creative quality
self-expression · integrity · creator · genius · vision · uncompromising · self-determination · freethinking
Very tall urban building
- modernismFavoring contemporary approaches
- blueprintDetailed technical drawing
- designPurposeful creative planning
- structureArrangement of interconnected parts
building · facade · innovation · functionalism · aesthetic · proportion · geometric · spatial
Formal argument on issues
- criticismJudgment of faults
- backlashStrong negative reaction
- polemicAggressive argumentative discourse
- contentionAssertion or rivalry
cult following · polarizing · dispute · dissent · ideological · banned · praised · condemned
Ayn Rand
Objectivist movement founder
- individualismDoctrine of personal independence
- egoismDoctrine of self-motivation
- capitalismPrivate profit-based economy
reason · selfishness · laissez-faire · free market · ethics · philosophy · productivity · achievement · property rights · profit motive
Ayn Rand
Objectivist movement founder
- protagonistStory's central figure
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- narrativeAccount of events
characterization · theme · fiction · prose · bestseller · classic · literary · critique · authorship · publishing
self-reliance
Depending on oneself alone
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- independenceFreedom from external control
- nonconformityRejection of prevailing norms
originality · self-expression · integrity · creator · genius · vision · uncompromising · self-determination · freethinking · uniqueness
skyscraper
Very tall urban building
- modernismFavoring contemporary approaches
- blueprintDetailed technical drawing
- designPurposeful creative planning
structure · building · facade · innovation · functionalism · aesthetic · proportion · geometric · spatial · cantilever
debate
Formal argument on issues
- criticismJudgment of faults
- backlashStrong negative reaction
- polemicAggressive argumentative discourse
contention · cult following · polarizing · dispute · dissent · ideological · banned · praised · condemned · philosophical
- Ayn RandAyn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, John Galt, Rand, looters
- architectureEiffel Tower, buildings, architects, design, thatching
- allegoryAnimal Farm, Narnia, The Little Prince, religious allegory, political allegory
- Great BooksMeditations, Leviathan, The Prince, Utopia, Walden
- Long NovelsWar and Peace, Les Miserables, Don Quixote, Clarissa, Atlas Shrugged
- political fictiondystopia, utopia, Nineteen Eighty-Four, 1984, dystopian fiction
The FountainheadThe Communist Manifesto
Socialist political program document
Das Kapital · The Jungle · Mother · 1984 · Brave New World
The Fountainheadcommunity theater
Local nonprofessional stage productions
fountain, head, fountains, heads, headed, heading, headless, header, headfirst