Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University

Tore Boeckmann's mystery short stories have been published and anthologized in several languages. He edited for publication Ayn Rand's The Art of Fiction and has lectured on her literary esthetics in Europe and America. His recent publications include "The Fountainhead as a Romantic Novel" and "What Might Be and Ought to Be: Aristotle's Poetics and The Fountainhead" in Essays on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead (Lexington Books, edited by Robert Mayhew); "Anthem as a Psychological Fantasy" in Essays on Ayn Rand's Anthem (Lexington Books, edited by Robert Mayhew); and "Caspar David Friedrich and Visual Romanticism" in the Spring 2008 issue of The Objective Standard.

In this interview, he responds to questions about the influence of Ayn Rand and her on going influence.

1)   Why, in your mind, is Atlas Shrugged such an original novel?

Atlas Shrugged is original in regard to theme as well as plot. Many novels have original plots, but the plots usually illustrate standard themes, such as the nobility of altruism or the plight of the poor. In Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand demonstrates that the mind is man's means of survival, and that he can survive and prosper only if he is left free to follow the guidance of his mind. She also introduces a new morality of rational self-interest. In so doing, she challenges millennia of altruist teachings. I think that counts as original.

2)   Why have you chosen to juxtapose Friedrich Schiller's plays with Ayn Rand's work? Why not choose Hermann Hesse or some other writer?

Schiller, like Ayn Rand, is a serious philosopher as well as a great writer. His themes are unoriginal but fundamental, and he concretizes them through innovative plots. Briefly stated, while Ayn Rand is for liberty and selfishness, Schiller is for liberty and altruism. Despite this difference, Ayn Rand admired Schiller greatly, and (I would argue) borrowed some of his story elements, but adapted them to serve her own thematic end in Atlas Shrugged.

3) What are the philosophical issues that Ayn Rand wrote about that you see as particularly salient and relevant today?

Ayn Rand dealt with the basic moral and metaphysical issues that confront men in all ages. Just as when she wrote Atlas Shrugged, men today face the choice between living for their own happiness or sacrificing themselves to other people, or to God. However, one thematic aspect of Atlas Shrugged is especially topical today: its demonstration of the crucial importance of reason to human beings and to morality. We are now seeing a resurgence of religious faith - the opposite of reason - in the form of Christianity here in America, and of Islam in Europe. Atlas Shrugged is a crucially needed antidote to this resurgence, and to the notion that morality is to be based on divine edict rather than on the requirements of human survival.

4)  Ayn Rand seems to have "created a new, original abstraction and translated it through new, original means". What does this mean to you in terms of literature and what relevance does this have to writing?

I don't think thematic originality is essential to esthetic value. A novel is not better as literature simply because the author developed some new message (although such innovation is certainly a noteworthy achievement, especially if the message is valid). What is important for a novel's artistic value is that the plot – the concrete means of illustrating the message – is original and not an imitation.

But apart from the issue of originality, I think it is important to observe that Ayn Rand's literary goal - the concretization of broad normative abstractions – is not the goal of all legitimate fiction. It is typical of the romantic school; but not all literature is romantic or can be judged by romantic standards. For instance, a naturalist like Sinclair Lewis is more concerned with the sharp observation of sociological types.

Ayn Rand admired Lewis as a writer, even though his method was not hers. But today, too many people judge literature without taking into account the author's school or what he or she is trying to accomplish – as if it is all "just literature." I have seen this error made by both admirers and detractors of Ayn Rand. They judge a novel like Babbitt by the standards appropriate to judging Atlas Shrugged, or vice versa. This makes them reject Babbitt because it is "not philosophical" - or Atlas Shrugged because the characters are "merely mouthpieces for ideas." Neither charge is true.

5) Tell us about your work with the Ayn Rand Institute. I know there are some writing scholarships and awards.

My work in Ayn Rand scholarship centers on her novels and esthetic philosophy. The Ayn Rand Institute has supported my work by providing writing grants and speaking opportunities. Also, the Institute houses the Ayn Rand Archives, which makes accessible to scholars her manuscripts, journals, correspondence, etc.

6) Many high school students praise The Fountainhead and obviously Atlas Shrugged. Why do Ayn Rand's novels continue to captivate high school and college students?

They do so because of their literary artistry and the power of their ideas. Generally, young people respond more positively than their elders to ideas that challenge age-old tradition, not having been steeped for decades in the conventional world view. Above all, the young are often idealistic: they regard abstract moral ideals as important – which is itself an idea, and an unfashionable one in our culture.

7) I enjoyed Anthem by Ayn Rand, but it is rarely mentioned- people typically discuss The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged first. Why do you think this is so?

Anthem continues to sell very well, and it is frequently taught in high schools. But it is very different from Ayn Rand's lengthier novels. The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged deal with ideas in a more explicit, detailed, and directly intellectual way. For instance, the heroes give long speeches, which sum up the meaning of complex story developments. In Anthem, the same basic philosophy is present, but in more poetic and starkly stylized form. By virtue of its form, this novelette doesn't raise as many tangential issues of philosophy, psychology, economics, etc. Maybe that's why you have seen it discussed less.

8) Would you consider either The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged as "great American novels"? Or as statements of philosophy and objectivism?

They are both – but also something more personal on Ayn Rand's part. Consider the following. The Fountainhead is a celebration of America and of the skyscrapers that dominate its big-city skylines. The novel depicts an America characterized by a Babbitt-like philistinism, but the country's political and economic liberty gives the hero, the architect Howard Roark, his chance to succeed as a builder. Atlas Shrugged introduces a whole new philosophy – but this philosophy is not presented as an end in itself: it underlies and explains the character of the novel's hero, John Galt. In each novel, the presentation of a moral ideal, in the form of a specific hero, is Ayn Rand's ultimate literary goal. From this perspective, the celebration of America and the dissemination of abstract philosophy are merely means, not the end.

9) What question have I neglected to ask?

The richness of Ayn Rand's novels gives rise to a thousand potential questions. No one could ask or answer them all. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address some very good ones.

Published April 9, 2008