Nov 28, 2007

Anthem, by Ayn Rand

Anthem

There's a reason I didn't read this one before now - it's a yawn. Blah blah blah, the individual above all, blah blah blah. In another time (either in my life, as in middle school, or in the world, as in when it came out) Anthem might have made a bigger impact on me. As it is, I'm old enough to be fairly sure that there's a world of ground to cover between nazi/commie state-owned marching in lockstep pure collectivism and I-as-God navel gazing ego worship.

I couldn't help but note that, in nearly the same thought, the main character goes from basically "I am alone myself, I will not be ruled, no one shall make laws for me" to "your name is Gaea, my beautiful woman, and you will bear my sons." Again, product of its times, but jarring as hell today.

final thought: Meh.

2 comments:

Doc said...

Meh, is right. I read Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead, so I figured I might as well throw in this lightweight. Ayn Rand is an over-rated, philosophically bankrupt, hack of a writer. Her world view probably best appeals to the age group that generally seems to read her: 17-22. I'll admit that I enjoyed parts of Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead, the long passages on positive objectivism about killed me, though.

http://docs50.blogspot.com

That Hank said...

Hear hear. I'd managed to avoid most Rand until now by sheer strength of will (why do people insist the Fountainhead will change my life?), and I haven't had my opinion changed in reading the full works.