Essays on Ayn Rand's We the Living

by Michael S. Berliner (Contributor), Andrew Bernstein (Contributor), Jeff Britting (Contributor)

Ayn Rand remains a truly significant figure of modern philosophy. Her unique vision of a world in which man, relying on reason, acts wholly for his own good is skillfully developed and illustrated in her most famous novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. But Rand's first novel, We the Living, a lesser-known but no less important book, offers an early form of the author's nascent philosophy―the philosophy Rand later called Objectivism. Robert Mayhew's collection of entirely new essays brings together pre-eminent scholars of Rand's writing. In part a history of We the Living, from its earliest drafts to the Italian film later based upon it, Mayhew's collection goes on to explore the enduring significance of Rand's first novel as a work both of philosophy and of literature. For Ayn Rand scholars and fans alike, this collection is a compelling examination of a novel that set the tone for some of the most influential philosophical literature to follow.

Genres: Philosophy, Literary Fiction, Criticism

384 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2004

Reviews

[A · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read for the essay on Hugo. While it's good to see Enjolras getting some attention in English-language literary criticism, I was completely unconvinced by the comparisons made between him and Rand's characters. For example, yes, Hugo and Rand both make references to Greek/Roman antiquity (although referring to Antinous as a "Greek page" is just something else entirely), but the author fails to consider the fact that these references aren't operating in even remotely the same way. There's very little discussion of intention and effects, so most of the essay reads like a list of words and phrases that are similar in both texts, and some claims are bordering on bizarre and aren't backed by textual evidence (Hugo has "uneven control" over his "craft and intention"?!) Maybe some of this comes down to the fact that I think Rand's opinions of Hugo and her interpretations of his work are awful, but I also disagreed with many of the author's analyses (Enjolras and Grantaire are hardly "unlikely friends") and ended up very disappointed by this book.

[Nixon Sucuc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This compendium of essays edited by Robert Mayhew helped me appreciate even more and understand more deeply We The Living, a novel I love. I wish there was this same level of rich, rigorous and profound literary and philosophical analysis for other great novels other than Rand's as well.

My favorite essays in this tome are (ranked):
"The Sacred in We the Living" by Robert Mayhew
"Kira's Family" by John David Lewis
"The Integration of Plot and Theme in We the Living" by Andrew Bernstein

[Gerardo Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible group of essays on We the Living. Well worth the read.

[Broderick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides some great insights into Rand's first novel, which I've just finished reading. It was really helpful to be reading this alongside the novel, as it covers many different aspects that anyone new to Rand's work (as I am) would not be aware of - such as Rand's background in Russia that inspired the work, to her writing method and her literary influences, and of course her grounding philosophy of objectivism, which was still in development at the time of writing the novel. There are 19 essays in total, from a number of different writers. Each of the essays help the reader to draw some greater meaning from the novel, although there was a little repetition between some of them. Despite this, it's still a great read, and definitely worth chasing up if you're embarking on the journey of learning more about Rand's work/s.

[Fred Kohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few outstanding essays in this book, but for the most part they were mediocre and a few were truly awful. One would not miss much by reading only the first half of the book. In the second half of the book, a few essays relied on the awful books The Red Decade: The Classic Work on Communism in America During the Thirties and Hollywood Party: How Communism Seduced the American Film Industry in the 1930s and 1940s, which are biased at best and pseudohistory at worst. Researching these books has led me to the book The Inquisition in Hollywood: Politics in the Film Community, 1930-60 which, I hear, is still the best history of this period and I have reserved at the library. So, hey, at least I got that from reading this book! And hooray for my local library!!

[Michael Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: A game-changer in Rand studies.

Rand's 1936 novel "We the Living" stands at the beginning of her fiction career and in some ways is her most surprising work. Meticulously crafted from her own experience during the terror of Soviet Russia in the 1910s and 1920s, it was her most widely-reviewed on its original issue and served notice that a major talent had arrived. Critical praise for her writing style, love scenes, and more may take aback those who are used to the unremitting attacks this author inspires. Many angles of the book are considered, and those who have enjoyed the clockwork construction Rand employs will find many of her mechanisms expressed and exposed here. Highly recommended.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant story of life in post-revolutionary Russia Kira Argounova, rejects any attempt to cast her into a mold, in a final attempt to cross border she is shot to death