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full title The Fountainhead
author Ayn Rand
type of work Novel
genre Allegory; Objectivist fiction; novel of ideas
language English
time and place written New York, 1938–1942
date of first publication May, 1943
publisher Bobbs-Merrill, New York.
narrator The omniscient narrator provides psychological analyses of the characters and exhibits a heavy bias toward the novel’s hero, Howard Roark
point of view Third person
tone Formal; moralizing; didactic
tense Present, with occasional forays into past tense when explaining the background of some characters
setting (time) 1922–1939
setting (place) New York City, Connecticut, Monadnock Valley, Massachusets, Ohio
protagonist Howard Roark
major conflict Howard Roark’s genius and striking architectural vision clashes with the mediocre society around him, represented by Ellsworth Toohey
rising action Keating succeeds financially while Roark struggles; Roark and Dominique meet and fall in love; Roark agrees to design a government housing complex on Keating’s behalf; in Roark’s absence, Keating makes changes to get the commission
climax Roark bombs the housing complex to prevent the corruption of his designs
falling action Roark successfully defends himself at trial for the bombing; Roark and Dominique marry
themes The primacy of the individual; the importance of reason; the cold ferocity of love
motifs Technical progress; journalism; labor
symbols Granite; ice; the Banner
foreshadowing When Roark finishes the Stoddard Temple, Roark must defend himself in a lawsuit.
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