Like Fountainhead, I resisted taking this into that library in my head. Also like The Fountainhead, it shared the same general observation of being a work that fostered this cult like following or was revered in the hipster intellectual circles ever since high school. Now that I’ve absorbed it I understand why.
I’m going to have two posts on the subject of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. One to review the book as a work, and another to sort of go over the philosophies that are part of the book. I think it’s almost necessary to separate the two to some extent as both are very large, thick, and hard to get through in one post without writing a thesis length piece.
Atlas Shrugged as a book is a mixed bag to me. The quick feeling on the matter is much the same as The Fountainhead… There is no need for the book to be as long as it is. There’s something to be said for the amount of detail in the book, but it seems the book could be cut down about a third without loosing any major themes, characters, events, or underlying philosophies.
The copious verbiage (pretentious words combo bonus) does build a rich environment that makes it a lot easier for a reader to get the whole picture. But it also meant that one needed to devote larger chunks of time in a given section without running the risk of coming back days later and having to go back pages and pages to rekindle the environments or circumstances of a given section.
Character-wise, the book benefits from the volume of description to build up and sustain a number of characters. However I found the book to linger in odd ways on the main female character. It was very similar to Fountainhead in this manner. You could tell that Rand was making a specific effort to portray a strong female presence (given the time of publication, this is understandable), but I always felt that there were instances of obvious subjugation that remained more than what I would have felt acceptable for a book moving the notion of gender equality forward. She also seemed to take this chance to get a little more naughty at times in this book – but always with the single female character. I also thought her writing in the mind of many of the male characters didn’t hit. I’m not saying people aren’t like that, I just think that it was more of an idealized creation of the male mind in many cases than the actual mind.
I also wished the book was a little better structured. It almost feels like it got away from her. The Fountainhead had nicely constructed segments of the book where this seemed to blend together over time. Where there was an intention of segments, they all washed away amidst the thousands and thousands of words.
But is the book good? I thought so. There are times that it’s great. There are times when you want to throw it out the window. It’s obviously written from a distinct time in American and World history. Sure, it’s a picture that is not as representative of the average, but it’s a perspective that has value. Obviously enough value to stick around for decades.
I’m pretty sure I’ll read this again, but I need some undetermined time to think about it and get a few more books under my noggin.