Essays on Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged

by Robert Mayhew (Editor)

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 Some of the essays make use of previously unpublished material from the Ayn Rand Archives.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics, Literature, Literary Fiction, Criticism

532 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Robert Mayhew is a professor of philosophy at Seton Hall University, where he has taught for over twenty years.
Dr. Mayhew’s primary research interests are in ancient philosophy. His most recent publication in the field is Theophrastus of Eresus: On Winds (Brill). Other books are Prodicus the Sophist (Oxford UP); Aristotle: Problems (Harvard UP); and Plato: Laws 10 (Oxford UP). He recently completed a book on Aristotle’s lost Homeric Problems.
Dr. Mayhew also has a serious scholarly interest in Ayn Rand. He is the author of Ayn Rand and “Song of Russia”: Communism and Anti-Communism in 1940s Hollywood, and editor of a collection of essays on each of her four novels. He has also edited some of Ayn Rand’s previously unpublished works: Ayn Rand’s Marginalia, The Art of Nonfiction, Ayn Rand Answers, and most recently, Ayn Rand’s The Unconquered (a play based on We the Living).
Dr. Mayhew serves on the boards of the Ayn Rand Institute and the Anthem Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship.

Reviews

[Johnrh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why am I reading so much fiction these days? (See my recent blogs.) In order to take a breather from THIS scholarly tome. It’s not that I’m suffocating. It’s that such in-depth analysis of a such a meticulously hewn, crafted, carved, and sculpted literary work as Atlas Shrugged takes my breath away. I read some of this nearly every day but I have to come up for air. (I’ve read the first essay chapter-by-chapter theme discussion twice so far.)

I’ve read the 1,000 page Shrugged twice, and listened to the 51 hour audiobook, superbly spoken, once. As I read “Essays” I’m convinced I still have not remotely grasped the breadth and depth of the book.

I guess even in college I never studied analyses of literature that approached the insight these writers do. It is VERY impressive.

Trust me, you don’t have to be crazy to read Atlas Shrugged or “Essays”. If you are it might make you even crazier, because Ayn Rand is one of the most sane writers I’ve ever read.

If you found value for yourself in reading Atlas Shrugged, you will find considerable value in slowly, intermittently, reading (dare I say ‘studying’) this book of essays.

[Jeffrey Falk · Rating 3 out of 5]

These essays vary in quality; some that are particularly fascinating and illuminating are Andrew Bernstein, Shoshana Milgram, and Tore Boeckmann. The editing is incomplete and sometimes unclear. It comes across as rushed, especially compared to the book's companion volumes and Robert Mayhew's other work.

[McVan's Fine Books]

I'm in the process of reading the thoughts of Ayn Rand. I will update my thoughts after finishing it.