The Fountainhead Summary
Ayn Rand

Everything you need to understand or teach The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.

The Fountainhead Summary & Study Guide
8 Student Essays
4 Literature Criticisms
1 Book Notes
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30 The Fountainhead Lessons
20 Activities
180 Multiple Choice Questions
60 Short Essay Questions
20 Essay Questions
Pre-Made Tests and Quizzes
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The Fountainhead Summary

Written in 1943 by Ayn Rand, the founder of the philosophy of Objectivism, “The Fountainhead” is set in New York City and spans the decades of the 1920s and 1930s. “The Fountainhead” details the struggles and challenges of an individualistic and brilliant architect, Howard Roark, and the people who surround him.

Howard Roark is a student at the Stanton Institute of Technology together with another student, Peter Keating. The Institute is filled...

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Ayn Rand Biographies (5)

Ayn Rand

1,522 words, approx. 6 pages

Ayn Rand (1905-1982)began to form her philosophy of rational self interest, which she called "objectivism," at an early age. This view became the basis for her immensely popular writings, which includ... Read more

Ayn Rand

7,173 words, approx. 24 pages

Ayn Rand has been both revered and disparaged as the author of controversial novels, essays, and other works that espouse her philosophy of Objectivism. A Russian-born American citizen, Rand celebrate... Read more

Ayn Rand

4,749 words, approx. 16 pages

Ayn Rand's novels The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) manifest a development of her own philosophy of Objectivism, which challenged conventional values by emphasizing laissez-faire capi... Read more

Ayn Rand

7,631 words, approx. 26 pages

Ayn Rand, one of the few systematic philosophers who have used imaginative literature to develop their ideas, was a novelist and the founder of the Objectivist school of philosophy. She was an advocat... Read more

Ayn Rand

4,798 words, approx. 16 pages

Biography EssayAyn Rand's novels The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) develop her philosophy of objectivism, which challenged conventional values by emphasizing laissez-faire capitalism, ... Read more

Essays & Analysis (12)

Critical Essay by Philip Gordon

1,328 words, approx. 5 pages

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Critical Essay by Kevin Mcgann

800 words, approx. 3 pages

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Critical Essay by Lorine Pruette

450 words, approx. 2 pages

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Critical Essay by Albert Guerard

665 words, approx. 3 pages

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The Fountainhead: Themes and Views

659 words, approx. 3 pages

Reaction to "The Fountainhead" Ayn Rand has based her novel on the ideas of objectivism, being concerned with how things ought to be, not how they are. This very broad topic largely applies to the ma... Read more

Objectivity in "The Fountainhead"

1,853 words, approx. 7 pages

The Fountainhead, written by Ayn Rand, is a novel about the ideals of four characters, all brought together to play different roles in the architecture industry. Ayn Rand, originally from Russia, mov... Read more

The Fountainhead: Differing Thoughts

894 words, approx. 3 pages

The Fountainhead Peter Keating and Howard Roark had many different thoughts and ways as to how to govern each of their own lives. Most of the story revolved around their beliefs and ideas. Peter Ke... Read more

The Fountainhead: A Character Analysis of Keating

498 words, approx. 2 pages

Peter Keating graduated as valedictorian from the Stanton Institute of Technology. But does this really mean that he was an outstanding architectural student? Or that perhaps he got there by doing hi... Read more

Fountainhead, A Review and Summary

711 words, approx. 3 pages

Ayn Rand's Fountainhead is a story about a young intransigent architect, Howard Roark, who defied the public taste in artistic and ostentatious architecture but indulged his own integrity to build a s... Read more

The Fountainhead

724 words, approx. 3 pages

Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead presented an egoist character, Howard Roark, and portrayed him to what society needs, but unwilling to admit the necessitate. Roark's meaning of life differed from the oth... Read more

Egoists and Altruists is "Foundtainhead"

1,184 words, approx. 4 pages

Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead closely examines the definitions and differences between altruists and egoists. Each of the character in the book represents either the altruism or egoism. Howard Roark,... Read more

The Film and Novel Versions of "The Fountainhead"

1,347 words, approx. 5 pages

The Fountainhead, published in 1943, was Ayn Rand's first great success as a writer. The four part novel, often heralded as one of the greatest American novels, was released on film in theaters in 19... Read more

Free Book Notes (1)

The Fountainhead

31,227 words, approx. 105 pages

The Fountainhead Book Notes is a free study guide on The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Browse the summary below:   Author Biography / Context of the Work   One-Page Plot Summary   Cha... Read more

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