Essays on Ayn Rand's We the Living [Paperback]

Robert Mayhew (Editor), Michael S. Berliner (Contributor), Andrew Bernstein (Contributor), Jeff Britting (Contributor), Dina Garmong (Contributor), Onkar Ghate (Contributor), John Lewis (Contributor), Scott McConnell (Contributor), Shoshana Milgram (Contributor), Richard E. Ralston (Contributor), John Ridpath (Contributor), Tara Smith (Contributor), Jena Trammell (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2004

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a truly engaging collection of essays that provide valuable philosophic and literary insight—as well as fascinating details about the publishing history and the music—of Ayn Rand's first full novel, We the Living. (Dr. Gary Hull )

A study of this kind is long overdue. Robert Mayhew has demonstrated an impressive vision in assembling a collection of this kind. One learns fascinating details about Ayn Rand’s life, her extraordinary care with her craft, and the critical reception of her first novel. Mayhew also sheds important light on her philosophy as it developed in the 1930s and beyond. (Wright, Darryl )

About the Author

Robert Mayhew is associate professor of philosophy at Seton Hall University. He is the author of several books and the editor of The Art of Nonfiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers, by Ayn Rand (2001).

Product Details

• Paperback: 365 pages
• Publisher: Lexington Books (February 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739106988
• ISBN-13: 978-0739106983
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,309,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FASCINATING!, September 24, 2007

By 

William Bucko "Bill Bucko" (Mt. Clemens, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essays on Ayn Rand's We the Living (Hardcover)

Most recent literary criticism cannot be read for pleasure. It's pretentious, muddle-headed, even corrupt, spouting the poisonous dogma that your mind can't see facts, all it sees is warped by "class, race, and gender." (Then how can they claim that as fact?)

This book is a rare exception.

It's a clear, straightforward, helpful and ultimately fascinating look at Ayn Rand's first masterpiece, written by noted scholars. Here are the partial contents:

From "Airtight" to "We the Living:" The Drafts of Ayn Rand's First Novel, by Shoshana Milgram

Parallel Lives: Models and Inspirations for Characters in "We the Living," by Scott McConnell

"We the Living" and the Rosenbaum Family Letters, by Dina Schein Garmong

Russian Revolutionary Ideology and "We the Living," by John Ridpath

"We the Living" '36 and '59, by Robert Mayhew

"We the Living" and Victor Hugo: Ayn Rand's First Novel and the Novelist She Ranked First, by Shoshana Milgram

"Red Pawn": Ayn Rand's Other Story of Soviet Russia, by Jena Trammell

The Integration of Plot and Theme in "We the Living," by Andrew Bernstein

This book provides fascinating glimpses into Ayn Rand's early development. Don't miss it!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended, With Reservations, January 28, 2007

By 

Steve Jackson "stevejackson100atyahoocom" (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essays on Ayn Rand's We the Living (Paperback)

Robert Mayhew, a professor of philosophy at Seton Hall University, has edited three collections of essays about Ayn Rand's novels. Prof. Mayhew is associated with The Ayn Rand Institute, which advocates Rand's philosophy (known as "Objectivism") in its most consistent, some would dogmatic, form.

WE THE LIVING ("WTL"), which was published in 1936, was Rand's first novel. Set in post-revolutionary Russia, it is Rand's most autobiographical novel.

This collection contains essays about the writing of WTL, background (in Rand's life and Russian history), its critical reception, its adaptation to film and stage, and philosophical issues raised by the book. The essays concerning the writing of WTL, its reception, and subsequent adaptations are all quite interesting. The philosophical essays don't break much new ground and are of lesser value.

Prof. Mayhew has contributed the most interesting essay, one concerning the changes from the original 1936 edition to the revised edition in 1959. In her introduction to the revised edition, Rand acknowledged making many changes, but claimed that they were only "line-changes." She specifically denied changing the "content." Prof. Mayhew seeks to defend Rand here, but I can't say that his case is persuasive. Some of the changes seem rather important and go to the substance of the book. Prof. Mayhew's defense of Rand is a bit forced and, unless you believe in the perpetual originality of Rand, unnecessary.

With a few reservations, I can recommend this book.