The Fountainhead (1943)
The story of an innovator—architect Howard Roark—and his battle against the tradition-worshipping establishment. Its theme: “individualism versus collectivism, not in politics, but in man’s soul; the psychological motivations and the basic premises that produce the character of an individualist or a collectivist.” Ayn Rand presented here for the first time her projection of the ideal man. Roark’s independence, self-esteem, and integrity have inspired millions of readers for more than half a century.
- Listen to an audiobook excerpt from Chapter One.
- Read an excerpt from Chapter One.
- Read our FAQ on The Fountainhead.
- Watch a six-part video course on The Fountainhead by Dr. Andrew Bernstein.
- View a video lecture by Dr. Shoshana Milgram: “Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead: Understanding and Teaching a Modern Classic”
- View “Q & A on Teaching The Fountainhead,” with Onkar Ghate
- Lesson Plans and Teacher’s Guides
- Request a free Teacher’s Kit
- Printable Essay Contest Flyer
- Discussion Questions
- Teacher Submitted Plans and Activities
Lesson Plans and Teacher’s Guides
Printable Essay Contest Flyers
An easy way to share our annual essay contest questions and details with your students is by printing out an essay contest flyer. Print them out for your each of your students or post it in your classroom. They are sized for a regular 8.5″X11″ piece of paper. Here are PDF flyers for each of our contests for your convenience:
Discussion Questions on The Fountainhead
- Why does Gail Wynand, a self-made media and real estate millionaire, seek to turn men into hypocrites? Why does he make a socialist defend management and a conservative defend labor?
- Why does the struggling sculptor Steven Mallory attempt to gun down a famous newspaper columnist who champions the voiceless and the undefended?
- Why does Peter Keating, a celebrity architect, plead with his unsuccessful and widely condemned friend, Hoard Roark, secretly to design a crucial housing project for him? Roark is an architect of unmatched integrity who scorns Keating—so why does he agree to do it?
- Howard Roark refuses a major contract when he most needs it, arguing that his action was “the most selfish thing you’ve ever seen a man do.” Why does he call this action selfish?
- Why does Roark dynamite Cortlandt Homes? How does he defend his action? Is he a moral man, a practical man, both, or neither?
- Both Howard Roark and Lois Cook are artists with a unique vision who are not accepted by the mainstream of society. What does Ayn Rand mean by “individualism”? Are they both individualists? Why or why not?
- What does Ayn Rand mean by the terms “first-hander” and “second-hander”? Cite examples of each type from real life.
Teacher-submitted lesson plans and activities
If you have a lesson or activity you would like to share on this site, please email education@aynrand.org and include it in either in the body of the text or as a Word document. Submitting a lesson is not a guarantee that it will be posted. Thank you!
