Unpopular Literary Opinions

[kafka]

Unpopular opinion: I hate the Fountainhead and I simply despise Ayn Rand. There aren't enough words in the English language to describe my absolute contempt, loathing, disdain and hatred for all things Rand. Her Cult of Selfishness, masquerading as higher, entitled, self-actualised cleverness, angers me so much that I feel waves of anger twitching my body.

For most of my life, there were 2 authors whom I've always loathed with a passion:

James Joyce;
---- and ----
St. Augustine.

I ripped one to shreds and came close to burning the other.

But nothing --- I repeat --- NOTHING comes close to the level of my loathing for Ayn Rand.

I've read some of her essays in addition to most of the books, and I'll admit, her speech to West Point in 1947 is brilliant on a lot of levels. But I still despise her with every ounce of my fibre.

It doesn't help that I once dated a Randian fanatic who didn't have a single emotional tie to anyone, let alone a photo of his family or friends in his house, but had an shrine to Ayn Rand on his mantle piece. A penis the size of my pinkie *and* a cultish obsession, valuing the theory of Selfishness as Self-Actualisation. <shudder>

So, just in case I didn't get my point across the prior 20 times, may I just repeat again that I spit on Ayn Rand. If Brangelina do a movie of the Fountainhead, it will mean gushing comments on Rand all over the place, and I'll lose my mind. Be prepared to hear agonized howls from my part of the world. {twitch}
[/end rant]

[chonies]

Kafka, once I find out a friend or acquaintance likes Rand, even if they pronounce her name correctly, every other opinion they have ever had becomes suspect. If they said water was wet, etc. I don't care for her philosophy, but the freaky devotion and pseudo- intellectualism are more of the turn-offs.

As for Joyce, I never really got into him, although I recently came across an interesting linguistic analysis that made me think of his work differently: the death of the Irish language represented and was manifested in the fragmented text. But it's going to take another extended power outage before I turn to Joyce to pass my time.

[tinyshoes]

Word on the Rand hate. I admit that I went through a pseudo-intellectual phase and bought a crapload of her books (please don't sic HRH on me Kafka). When I cracked open Atlas Shrugged I couldn't get past "Who is John Galt?" I figure if you need to get a taste of Rand, read Anthem since it's shorter. Anyway, an old friend of mind had decided that she pretty much wrote the same book 10 times. I finally got rid of her books along with a lot of my other so-called "deep" books I never really cared to read anyway, but made me look smart when company came by.

[Deleted]

kafka said:

A penis the size of my pinkie *and* a cultish obsession....

Aww, you dated Tom Cruise and never told us?

To return to the actual topic, I didn't think hating Ayn Rand was unpopular. She seems to appeal to a certain subset of the population, and the rest of the world is somewhere between "Whatever" and "Sucks."

I never did get Rand. I read The Fountainhead - first try was in high school (ha!), and the second try was in law school, IIRC. I did make it through the second time, but it was just "And?" I've also got a copy of Anthem, which I started and didn't finish, even though it's tiny.

[proper stranger]

kafka said:

Unpopular opinion: I hate the Fountainhead and I simply despise Ayn Rand. There aren't enough words in the English language to describe my absolute contempt, loathing, disdain and hatred for all things Rand. Her Cult of Selfishness, masquerading as higher, entitled, self-actualised cleverness, angers me so much that I feel waves of anger twitching my body.

Awwww, Kafka...that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I had a friend in high school who was into Ayn Rand and may have even entered the Fountainhead Essay Contest. Never understood the appeal of Rand, don't care to get it now, will never get it.

chonies said:

once I find out a friend or acquaintance likes Rand, even if they pronounce her name correctly, every other opinion they have ever had becomes suspect.

That's sort of how I feel about James Joyce. It's different from Rand in the sense that her entire "philosophy" is vile, but if someone likes Joyce, I start to question them in general. I remember having to read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man for AP English in the summer before my senior year of high school. That stupid little book almost ruined my entire summer. Reading it (or attempting to read it) was pure, agonizing, excruciating torture.

I just don't agree with the extreme Modernist "I'm so brilliant that you don't need to understand what the frack I'm talking about" style of writing. Joyce's wife, Nora, put it very well: "Why don't you write books people can read?"

A friend of mine (who is also a Joyce-hater) claimed that Dubliners was much better and not as annoyingly Joyce-esque. I haven't been brave enough yet to find out if I share her opinion.

[Deleted]

I have never been more disappointed in someone in my life than when I was helping my mom pack, and I found an old copy of Atlas Shrugged that had been my father's.

[proper stranger]

Take heart--maybe he had to read it in school or something and never got rid of it. I think I still have Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man around somewhere. Mainly because I have a hard time getting rid of any books (even shitty ones), but also because it's a reminder to never forget the suffering I endured while reading it.

[Peggy Lane]

So glad to see I'm not alone in the Ayn Rand hate. Or in the after I find out someone likes her, I start reevaluating what I think about that person. Because, really.

I love Southern lit, but Faulkner slays me. It's like I am incapable of finishing a Faulkner book, or if I do finish it, it's a painful experience. I get that we Southeners are insane and sort of gothic. I understand Faulkner's alcohol problem. The combo just doesn't mix for me.

Actually, though, I was coming to admit to a favorite book (not Bestest!Book!Ever! but a favorite). "And Ladies of the Club." Ahem. I know it is typically thought of as a 1980s book club thing, and it was, but it's also fantastic social history with lots of well written characters. I've had a bad week, and I pulled out my copy to read today. There are parts that make me smile, parts that make me livid, parts that make me cry, and I just love it all to pieces. Literally. This is my third copy.

[kafka]

I'm really shocked by how many people hate Ayn Rand. But, bloody hell, I love each and every one of you for it!

I really thought that she was considered to be the be-all-end-all for most brainy people and, since people here are extremely well read and educated, I actually thought I'd be mocked. I don't know why. Perhaps because Ayn Rand seems to be the choice of the disaffected, non-establishmentarian type who would snark at things, mostly because they would see things from a different perspective and mock the socially-accepted view. For example, the way people here mock People or VF's socially accepted views of certain stars.....

Either way, I'm glad I'm not alone in the hatred. OR in thinking less of anyone who admits to loving her. Because I do that too. I always wonder, "What's wrong with them?" and then proceed to question their views on selfishness, ego, individuality at all costs and more.

That said, Ayn Rand has a point in not being a social lemming but most people don't seem to realise that her views went far --- FAR -- beyond that point.

To the poster who saved "Portrait of the Artist," that's the book I shredded in part. Worst book EVER. Except for perhaps "Ulysses" which I began (out of obligation, not by choice), only to give up about 50 pages midway. I once dated a chap who was getting his PHd in Joyce at Rice University and he admitted, in all seriousness, that he'd be surprised if even 50 (non-academic) people in the world today had ever finished Ulysses.

My sister is trying valiantly to be No. 51. She's been trying so long that she's actually resorted to books on tape now. It's been 3 years and .... well, I may have grandchildren before she ever finishes it. She's gotten to the point that she's not even sure they're speaking in English anymore.

[chonies]

In my observation, Ayn Rand fans tend to be very intelligent, although not worldly. Also, there's a trend among the people I have noticed that they have also either dropped out of college or are involved with fine arts, and are usually having difficulty pursuing this career goal. Of course, I do not mean to cast aspersions or view askance at anyone who didn't college or high school or is an actor or anything. I think there's a strong current of dissatisfaction in the psyches of Randians, perhaps from career or education frustration, and like many cult followers, are struck deep in here (dramatically points to heart) about something that seems vaguely anti-authoritarian.

Of course, this was a completely informal survey and there's probably an entire subset of well-adjusted, happy people with sharp wit and daring panache who lurve Rand. If so, they probably just keep it well hidden under their other glowing attributes.

Kafka, regarding Ulysses and the inability to complete it: in high school I read Portrait and for some reason years later drunkenly intoned that I had read Ulysses. Everyone looked astonished, as this was a gathering of literary types and I had a reputation for reading everything except "literature." Someone cautiously asked "are you...sure?" And I got belligerent and insisted I had. Now I understand why everyone was so surprised.