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Ideal
In print for the first time ever, author and philosopher Ayn Rand’s novel Ideal.
Originally conceived as a novel, but then transformed into a play by Ayn Rand, Ideal is the story of beautiful but tormented actress Kay Gonda. Accused of murder, she is on the run and turns for help to six fans who have written letters to her, each telling her that she represents their ideal—a respectable family man, a far-left activist, a cynical artist, an evangelist, a playboy, and a lost soul. Each reacts to her plight in his own way, their reactions a glimpse into their secret selves and their true values. In the end their responses to her pleas give Kay the answers she has been seeking.
Ideal was written in 1934 as a novel, but Ayn Rand thought the theme of the piece would be better realized as a play and put the novel aside. Now, both versions of Ideal are available for the first time ever to the millions of Ayn Rand fans around the world, giving them a unique opportunity to explore the creative process of Rand as she wrote first a book, then a play, and the differences between the two.
INCLUDES AN INTRODUCTION BY LEONARD PEIKOFF
Originally conceived as a novel, but then transformed into a play by Ayn Rand, Ideal is the story of beautiful but tormented actress Kay Gonda. Accused of murder, she is on the run and turns for help to six fans who have written letters to her, each telling her that she represents their ideal—a respectable family man, a far-left activist, a cynical artist, an evangelist, a playboy, and a lost soul. Each reacts to her plight in his own way, their reactions a glimpse into their secret selves and their true values. In the end their responses to her pleas give Kay the answers she has been seeking.
Ideal was written in 1934 as a novel, but Ayn Rand thought the theme of the piece would be better realized as a play and put the novel aside. Now, both versions of Ideal are available for the first time ever to the millions of Ayn Rand fans around the world, giving them a unique opportunity to explore the creative process of Rand as she wrote first a book, then a play, and the differences between the two.
INCLUDES AN INTRODUCTION BY LEONARD PEIKOFF
247 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1934
79 people are currently reading
1312 people want to read
About the author
Ayn Rand
591 books10.4k followersPolemical novels, such as
The Fountainhead
(1943), of primarily known Russian-American writer Ayn Rand, originally Alisa Rosenbaum, espouse the doctrines of objectivism and political libertarianism.
Fiction of this better author and philosopher developed a system that she named. Educated, she moved to the United States in 1926. After two early initially duds and two Broadway plays, Rand achieved fame. In 1957, she published Atlas Shrugged , her best-selling work.
Rand advocated reason and rejected faith and religion. She supported rational and ethical egoism as opposed to altruism. She condemned the immoral initiation of force and supported laissez-faire capitalism, which she defined as the system, based on recognizing individual rights, including private property. Often associated with the modern movement in the United States, Rand opposed and viewed anarchism. In art, she promoted romantic realism. She sharply criticized most philosophers and their traditions with few exceptions.
Books of Rand sold more than 37 million copies. From literary critics, her fiction received mixed reviews with more negative reviews for her later work. Afterward, she turned to nonfiction to promote her philosophy, published her own periodicals, and released several collections of essays until her death in 1982.
After her death, her ideas interested academics, but philosophers generally ignored or rejected her and argued that her approach and work lack methodological rigor. She influenced some right conservatives. The movement circulates her ideas to the public and in academic settings.
Fiction of this better author and philosopher developed a system that she named. Educated, she moved to the United States in 1926. After two early initially duds and two Broadway plays, Rand achieved fame. In 1957, she published Atlas Shrugged , her best-selling work.
Rand advocated reason and rejected faith and religion. She supported rational and ethical egoism as opposed to altruism. She condemned the immoral initiation of force and supported laissez-faire capitalism, which she defined as the system, based on recognizing individual rights, including private property. Often associated with the modern movement in the United States, Rand opposed and viewed anarchism. In art, she promoted romantic realism. She sharply criticized most philosophers and their traditions with few exceptions.
Books of Rand sold more than 37 million copies. From literary critics, her fiction received mixed reviews with more negative reviews for her later work. Afterward, she turned to nonfiction to promote her philosophy, published her own periodicals, and released several collections of essays until her death in 1982.
After her death, her ideas interested academics, but philosophers generally ignored or rejected her and argued that her approach and work lack methodological rigor. She influenced some right conservatives. The movement circulates her ideas to the public and in academic settings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
September 10, 2023
Succinct and masterful.
This work is a quietly brilliant condemnation of settling for mediocrity.
The allegories contained in the story illustrate the myriad ways we eschew the perfections we claim to venerate.
Kay Gonda does not need to be a fully fleshed-out character. She is a plot device to show our eagerness to select the average and the comfortable, rather than to strive for the excellent.
“What do you dream of?”
“Nothing. Of what account are dreams?”
“Of what account is life?”
“None. But who made it so?”
“Those who cannot dream.”
“No. Those who can only dream.”
This work is a quietly brilliant condemnation of settling for mediocrity.
The allegories contained in the story illustrate the myriad ways we eschew the perfections we claim to venerate.
Kay Gonda does not need to be a fully fleshed-out character. She is a plot device to show our eagerness to select the average and the comfortable, rather than to strive for the excellent.
“What do you dream of?”
“Nothing. Of what account are dreams?”
“Of what account is life?”
“None. But who made it so?”
“Those who cannot dream.”
“No. Those who can only dream.”
June 28, 2020
“IDEAL”
The novel and the play
Ayn Rand, 2015
@penguinrandomhouse
⠀
“I LOVE THOSE THAT KNOW NOT HOW TO LIVE TODAY”
⠀
Quote:
⠀
“-You said you were not happy.
-I... I didn’t mean to complain, Miss Gonda, or... It was only... How can I explain?... I guess I’ve missed someone along the way. I don’t know what it is, but I know I’ve missed it, only I don’t know why.
-Maybe it’s because you wanted to miss it.
-No. His voice was firm. No. He rose and stood looking straight at her. You see, I’m not unhappy at all. In fact, I’m a very happy man-as happiness goes. Only there’s something in me that knows of a life I’ve never lived, the kind of a life no one has ever lived, but should.
-You know it? Why don’t you live it?
-Who does? Who can? Who even gets a chance at the... the very best possible to him? We all bargain. We take the second best. That’s all there is to be had. But the... the God in us, it knows the other... the very best... which never comes.
-And... if it come?
-We’d grab it-because there is a God in us.
-And... you really want that? That God in you?”
⠀
Annotation:
⠀
“Originally conceived as a novel but then transformed into a play by Ayn Rand, Ideal is the story of beautiful but tormented actress Kay Gonda. Accused of murder, she is on the run, and she turns for help to six fans who have written letters to her, each telling her that she represents their ideal-a respectable family man, a farleft activist, a cynical artist, an evangelist, a playboy, and a lost soul. Each reacts to her plight in his own way, their reactions a glimpse into their secret selves and their true values. In the end their responses to her pleas give Kay the answers she has been seeking.
Ideal was written in 1934 as a novel, but Ayn Rand thought the theme of the piece would be better realized as a play and put the novel aside. Now, both versions of Ideal are available for the first time ever to the millions of Ayn Rand fans around the world, giving them a unique opportunity to explore the creative process of Rand as she wrote first a book, then a play, and the differences between the two.”
⠀
#примхливачитака @ Vyshneve
The novel and the play
Ayn Rand, 2015
@penguinrandomhouse
⠀
“I LOVE THOSE THAT KNOW NOT HOW TO LIVE TODAY”
⠀
Quote:
⠀
“-You said you were not happy.
-I... I didn’t mean to complain, Miss Gonda, or... It was only... How can I explain?... I guess I’ve missed someone along the way. I don’t know what it is, but I know I’ve missed it, only I don’t know why.
-Maybe it’s because you wanted to miss it.
-No. His voice was firm. No. He rose and stood looking straight at her. You see, I’m not unhappy at all. In fact, I’m a very happy man-as happiness goes. Only there’s something in me that knows of a life I’ve never lived, the kind of a life no one has ever lived, but should.
-You know it? Why don’t you live it?
-Who does? Who can? Who even gets a chance at the... the very best possible to him? We all bargain. We take the second best. That’s all there is to be had. But the... the God in us, it knows the other... the very best... which never comes.
-And... if it come?
-We’d grab it-because there is a God in us.
-And... you really want that? That God in you?”
⠀
Annotation:
⠀
“Originally conceived as a novel but then transformed into a play by Ayn Rand, Ideal is the story of beautiful but tormented actress Kay Gonda. Accused of murder, she is on the run, and she turns for help to six fans who have written letters to her, each telling her that she represents their ideal-a respectable family man, a farleft activist, a cynical artist, an evangelist, a playboy, and a lost soul. Each reacts to her plight in his own way, their reactions a glimpse into their secret selves and their true values. In the end their responses to her pleas give Kay the answers she has been seeking.
Ideal was written in 1934 as a novel, but Ayn Rand thought the theme of the piece would be better realized as a play and put the novel aside. Now, both versions of Ideal are available for the first time ever to the millions of Ayn Rand fans around the world, giving them a unique opportunity to explore the creative process of Rand as she wrote first a book, then a play, and the differences between the two.”
⠀
#примхливачитака @ Vyshneve
January 25, 2020
My first Ayn Rand book and probably my last.
This entire story fell flat for me. It was terribly preachy (which makes me wonder how preachy her more famous works are, damn) and it just seems like Rand dislikes “the average person”. I don’t know much about objectivism and I have come to understand this was written before Rand went down that rabbit hole, but eh. Didn’t love the overall message being sent here, I guess.
The one thing I did appreciate was how almost every man in this book, who claimed to be in love with the protagonist (if we can call her that?), actually only cared about her for her looks. Which like, duh, considering the circumstances. But I liked that.
This entire story fell flat for me. It was terribly preachy (which makes me wonder how preachy her more famous works are, damn) and it just seems like Rand dislikes “the average person”. I don’t know much about objectivism and I have come to understand this was written before Rand went down that rabbit hole, but eh. Didn’t love the overall message being sent here, I guess.
The one thing I did appreciate was how almost every man in this book, who claimed to be in love with the protagonist (if we can call her that?), actually only cared about her for her looks. Which like, duh, considering the circumstances. But I liked that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
maybe
July 13, 2015I have serious doubts about this book, and more specifically about it being published, now. I see that it has a foreword by Leonard Peikoff, her designated successor, but Rand was very meticulous. If she had wanted it to be released, she would have.
Needless to say, I won't be reading this without further investigation.
Needless to say, I won't be reading this without further investigation.
July 11, 2015
If Dominique Francon wrote fiction, she would write "Ideal". It is much more of a lifeline in today's cynical, modernist culture than it would have been had it been published or produced circa 1934. It gets an extra star for historic and documentary value (comparing and contrasting the two versions is fascinating and instructive). This is not the place to start if you are unfamiliar with Rand's work.
November 9, 2023
This was great. I'd never heard of this story of Rand's before but I loved the way the author used a sequence of varied characters to execute the theme that man is naturally flawed.
The only downside was the introduction, written by Leonard Peikoff (whose only claim to fame was being friends with Rand and has used that endlessly to try and make a career for himself), but that can be ignored.
The only downside was the introduction, written by Leonard Peikoff (whose only claim to fame was being friends with Rand and has used that endlessly to try and make a career for himself), but that can be ignored.
August 7, 2015
It seems the Ayn Rand worshippers hate this book, and its easy to see why. It shows what a brilliant writer Rand could have been if her later works were untainted by her later craziness. I loved every page of both the novel and the play. Leonard Peikoff's intros were annoying, of course, but I could hardly subtract a star for that.
January 1, 2026
I love this style of writing! It’s a new discovery! It’s nice to see all the pieces fall together and re-read the letters after the chapters are finished. Wonderful!
June 21, 2016
What do you think of a book that its own author thought, in more erudite words, was a piece of shit not worth publishing in life? Only an idiot would buy it, am I right? I'm probably a couple of notches above idiot because not only have I bought it, I've paid full price for it.
It all started with a very boring introduction by Rand's successor. I read two whole pages of him justifying the publishing of this novella/play. If you have to ramble on for 5 pages, front and back, about why you published a book with a 'deep' convex of meaning that the ORIGINAL AUTHOR thought was shit, you're really doing a disservice to yourself and the author.
'Ideal' is the story of a spoilt actress who uses her unfathomable power over men to spread a rumor about the death of a man who loved her to 'find out' something about her devoted fans. Or true lack, thereof. Each one of them smites her in a way she expects, and she goes through with it anyway.
Except one boy. I liked this boy. His life was falling apart, and he confessed it to his Ideal, who lied to his face. He shelters an idea, and then gives up his own life to it. It's like Game of Thrones without the Thrones. Or the weddings.
Like Kay's perplexed fans, who think they love her, but they also hate her - I am a perplexed fan of this book. Everything about it was a little abhorrent, and yet I read the entire novella. And I felt strong enough to read the play.
I didn't read the play though, as it's so unfinished without a cast or stage. It's stuck in the vortex of being real and being nothing at all.
Overall, I wish I had flicked this book from the store instead of paying full price. I feel like I would sleep better, then.
It all started with a very boring introduction by Rand's successor. I read two whole pages of him justifying the publishing of this novella/play. If you have to ramble on for 5 pages, front and back, about why you published a book with a 'deep' convex of meaning that the ORIGINAL AUTHOR thought was shit, you're really doing a disservice to yourself and the author.
'Ideal' is the story of a spoilt actress who uses her unfathomable power over men to spread a rumor about the death of a man who loved her to 'find out' something about her devoted fans. Or true lack, thereof. Each one of them smites her in a way she expects, and she goes through with it anyway.
Except one boy. I liked this boy. His life was falling apart, and he confessed it to his Ideal, who lied to his face. He shelters an idea, and then gives up his own life to it. It's like Game of Thrones without the Thrones. Or the weddings.
Like Kay's perplexed fans, who think they love her, but they also hate her - I am a perplexed fan of this book. Everything about it was a little abhorrent, and yet I read the entire novella. And I felt strong enough to read the play.
I didn't read the play though, as it's so unfinished without a cast or stage. It's stuck in the vortex of being real and being nothing at all.
Overall, I wish I had flicked this book from the store instead of paying full price. I feel like I would sleep better, then.
August 18, 2015
Typical. I enjoyed the hard-boiled language and the vibe of 30s Hollywood and the movie industry. And by having a female protagonist, you get more of a sense of Ayn Rand's personality. But as with her other stories, this is an incredibly silly book. Kay Gonda encounters her fans, most of whom are living quiet lives of desperation, as people do, because they choose marriage, jobs, etc. You get Rand's contempt for middle-class life and middle-class people, even down to the adjectives she uses - "little," "small,""insignificant." Her characters disparage religion - i.e. Christianity - but they want the peace and purpose they perceive "in the temple." I was amused by her response to Jesus' famous questions, "What does it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his soul?" Her response: "And of what account is a soul without a world to gain?" It ignores His second question - "And what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" - and also assumes that one can actually "possess" the world. Or that's it's worth having.
It seems to Rand that only a feverish impatience for vain dreams is the business and essence of life. Take Kay Gonda, for instance. She is an actress who has touched all of the characters because of her great beauty. We don't know what all-fired omnipotent dreams she possesses that are great enough to rate a young man committing suicide to preserve her freedom, but we are assured this was a necessary sacrifice.
It seems to Rand that only a feverish impatience for vain dreams is the business and essence of life. Take Kay Gonda, for instance. She is an actress who has touched all of the characters because of her great beauty. We don't know what all-fired omnipotent dreams she possesses that are great enough to rate a young man committing suicide to preserve her freedom, but we are assured this was a necessary sacrifice.
September 29, 2020
An excellent novella. While I don't agree with Rand's assessment of religion (in which she included everything from religious to Bible-believing/born-again Christians who do not consider themselves religious) as being always hypocritical, I appreciate the various ways she shows the hypocrisy that is often rampant in religion as well as in other spheres of life through Kay Gonda's search for an individual who would hold true to the ideals they claimed to hold when they wrote letters to her. The concept that an idol we hold might go from intangible to tangible and demand of us some action is an intriguing one and calls on each of us to ask: what is it we want? And if we hold to that want, if we have an ideal or a standard, do we seek to achieve it? Are we genuine in our belief or our ideals, or are they only nice words that hold no true weight? The novella, true to typical Ayn Rand, has heavy philosophical undertones while still providing an intriguing, riveting tale sure to capture the attention of the reader who wishes both to be entertained and to be asked to think. As a reader who prefers both of those be present in the majority of the books I read, I find that Rand--for all the ways we may disagree on the point of religion--is an author that I have enjoyed greatly and admire just as much. She brings to fiction what is so often missing in it these days: clear worldview and philosophy bundled in a palatable, engaging manner. A true master of her craft!
September 27, 2021
An excellent novella. While I don't agree with Rand's assessment of religion (in which she included everything from religious to Bible-believing/born-again Christians who do not consider themselves religious) as being always hypocritical, I appreciate the various ways she shows the hypocrisy that is often rampant in religion as well as in other spheres of life through Kay Gonda's search for an individual who would hold true to the ideals they claimed to hold when they wrote letters to her. The concept that an idol we hold might go from intangible to tangible and demand of us some action is an intriguing one and calls on each of us to ask: what is it we want? And if we hold to that want, if we have an ideal or a standard, do we seek to achieve it? Are we genuine in our belief or our ideals, or are they only nice words that hold no true weight? The novella, true to typical Ayn Rand, has heavy philosophical undertones while still providing an intriguing, riveting tale sure to capture the attention of the reader who wishes both to be entertained and to be asked to think. As a reader who prefers both of those be present in the majority of the books I read, I find that Rand--for all the ways we may disagree on the point of religion--is an author that I have enjoyed greatly and admire just as much. She brings to fiction what is so often missing in it these days: clear worldview and philosophy bundled in a palatable, engaging manner. A true master of her craft!
November 23, 2015
I don't know where they found this manuscript, but they should have left it there. The novel had no discernable character development, and it's painfully obvious that the intention was for the book to be an exhibition of Objectivism (which Rand did brilliantly with Anthem).
As for the play, I can't say whether or not it was better just by reading it. I don't feel like there would be much more to like in the play, but I can't tell for sure without seeing it on stage.
It seems that this was released simply for the benefit of Leonard Peikoff and the Ayn Rand Institute.
As for the play, I can't say whether or not it was better just by reading it. I don't feel like there would be much more to like in the play, but I can't tell for sure without seeing it on stage.
It seems that this was released simply for the benefit of Leonard Peikoff and the Ayn Rand Institute.
June 7, 2019
This started off a little shaky, as though she never returned to edit some pieces to their full potential, but did it ever get better as I read! This read is void of her personal philosophy, though it seems the six men visited throughout represent a different school of philosophy, and their inability to help Miss Gonda represented the downfall within them Rand saw as inherent. And that last line! Loved!
November 15, 2015
Ayn Rand is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant and since this book had both the novel about a thirties movie goddess and 7 fans and the play about the same, it was fascinating to watch the transition/differences. Always a socio-political powerhouse even when writing about one single movie star.
July 21, 2015
Brilliant and heart rendering. Pure Ayn Rand.
October 6, 2023
Fascinating character studies, excellent exploration of integrity. Not much in the way of a plot though
December 2, 2019
“Have you ever been in a temple and seen men kneeling silently, reverently, their souls raised to the greatest height they can reach? To the height where they can know they are clean, and clear, and perfect? When their spirit is the end and reason of all things? Then have you wondered why that has to exist only in a temple? Why can’t men carry it also in their lives? Why, if they can know the height, they can still want to live less than the highest? That’s what we want to live, you and I. And if we can dream, we must also see our dreams in life. If not—of what account are dreams?”
“Ah, Johnnie, Johnnie, of what account is life?”
None. But who made it so?”
“Those who cannot dream.”
“No. Those who can only dream.”
————
A half-dozen years ago, this book would have resonated with me greatly. Now, I’m more inclined to discernment. As a philosophical story, it has its merits: the plot is an excellent vignette that lends itself to the navel-gazing of its characters. And along the way, they all face the emptiness of their lives. Interestingly, it is the nihilist who gives the most meaning to the experiences of the book. Definitely makes you think.
“Ah, Johnnie, Johnnie, of what account is life?”
None. But who made it so?”
“Those who cannot dream.”
“No. Those who can only dream.”
————
A half-dozen years ago, this book would have resonated with me greatly. Now, I’m more inclined to discernment. As a philosophical story, it has its merits: the plot is an excellent vignette that lends itself to the navel-gazing of its characters. And along the way, they all face the emptiness of their lives. Interestingly, it is the nihilist who gives the most meaning to the experiences of the book. Definitely makes you think.
October 23, 2023
It was really interesting to see Rand's early thinking, (and echoes of what would become her main works) and I had fun picturing the dramatic play sets as the scenes unfold. The drama. The glamor. The romance. Most of all, beautiful, descriptive, psychological, efficient character writing. (Especially on the part of the novel) Many of the characters (George Perkins as one) resonated with me. Some characters (Chuck Fink) made me laugh, others I just put up with. That said...
June 16, 2017
Ideal viene en un formato de novela y obra, publicado en 2015, años después de la muerte de Ayn Rand.
Es una historia que ella misma descartara en su momento de ser publicada, un poco menos estructurada que sus otras novelas.
Es muy interesante observar no solo el proceso creativo de una Ayn Rand temprana, sino también la construcción de personajes que representan multitudes y la transición de la prosa al guión.
No es lo máximo pero está bien si uno es muy fan de Ayn Rand como yo.
Es una historia que ella misma descartara en su momento de ser publicada, un poco menos estructurada que sus otras novelas.
Es muy interesante observar no solo el proceso creativo de una Ayn Rand temprana, sino también la construcción de personajes que representan multitudes y la transición de la prosa al guión.
No es lo máximo pero está bien si uno es muy fan de Ayn Rand como yo.
December 10, 2024
Little Prince and dogville came to my mind st the same time
November 24, 2023
I read the version that presents both the prose and the play. The general structure of the work, in both cases, ends up being repetitive, not only because of the two versions, but because the chapters are developed in the same way. The revelation at the end is a surprise, no doubt about it, and helps to bring the author's proposal to a close, but you can't say it's a thriller or anything like that.
November 30, 2016
Ideal is the never before published lost novel about a murder and the famous actress Kay Gonda. Ideal was previously available as a play.
Originally, in 2015, I preordered the Ideal iBook and read it shortly after it was released. At the end of 2016, I have now re-read Ideal.
Ideal is significant because it is one of a small number of Ayn Rand's fiction works. Ayn Rand's work is important because of it's ongoing influence with economics, politics, pop culture and literature. In many ways, this is more so today than when Atlas Shrugged was first released in 1957. Today, there is more than ever before, great awareness and discontent about the suffering and destruction caused by government, tax and regulations. The proof of this is the current dissatisfaction with "Leftist" governments and political mainstream parties. These parties and governments are being replaced with more free market nationalist movements. Therefore this book should not be judged just as a book, or just as a story about an actress. It was part of the development of Ms Rand's theory of objectivism. Objectivism is a philosophy for living on Earth.
Further, the story of this night as told in Ideal, is a representation of what it means to be a human living on Earth. The hero is the elegant and elusive movie star Kay Gonda. Ms Gonda is the most beautiful woman in the world, and the biggest and most loved movie star. Ms Gonda's past is unknown and there is much debate about what about her is true and what is not. She has previously lived a hard and dangerous life. She is admired as being an ideal human, but no one quite knows why. The public is addicted to her movies but no one is quite sure why. No one that knows her, actually likes or understands her, or knows anyone that does. The answer seems to be that she lives a moral and virtuous life according to Aristotelian principles. People sense that Ms Gonda neither lives for anyone else or expects anyone else to live for her. Ms Gonda is seen as distant and unreachable. This seems to make people admire her more. Ms Gonda is seen as an ideal human. She is also seen as an ideal in an ethical sense that people can aspire to, or feel that they understand when they see her movies.
The story in itself seems simple. This is until one asks, why is Ms Gonda doing this, and why do the other players act in the way they do when they meet Ms Gonda? Th answer would seem to be that Ms Gonda is using this night to test her philosophy about humans. Ms Gonda seems to be asking if there are good humans on Earth, or are there other virtuous and moral people on Earth? Six people have written to her and expressed that they are moral humans and that they will live for her. All but one betray Ms Gonda and commit immoral or non-virtuous acts. In behaving in this way these people do not prove themselves to be the good humans that they claimed to be in their letters.
I did find one incident in the book, an act committed by one of these people, to be very violent and sad. Another person that did not let Ms Gonda down, was also immoral, however, because he let himself down. Ms Gonda's pure or "white" principles did not allow her to be concerned about or affected by the behaviour of these people. She also felt morally divorced from the consequences of the act of the one of these people that remained devoted to her.
In summary, Ideal, is a wonderful and thoughtful work. Ideal must be seen in the context of Ms Rand's greatest works that include We The Living and Atlas Shrugged. Kay Gonda is a great and perfect Ayn Rand female hero. She is very much an iconic figure in the style of the heroic and admirable Dagny Taggart, and the tragic and brave Kira Argounova.
Originally, in 2015, I preordered the Ideal iBook and read it shortly after it was released. At the end of 2016, I have now re-read Ideal.
Ideal is significant because it is one of a small number of Ayn Rand's fiction works. Ayn Rand's work is important because of it's ongoing influence with economics, politics, pop culture and literature. In many ways, this is more so today than when Atlas Shrugged was first released in 1957. Today, there is more than ever before, great awareness and discontent about the suffering and destruction caused by government, tax and regulations. The proof of this is the current dissatisfaction with "Leftist" governments and political mainstream parties. These parties and governments are being replaced with more free market nationalist movements. Therefore this book should not be judged just as a book, or just as a story about an actress. It was part of the development of Ms Rand's theory of objectivism. Objectivism is a philosophy for living on Earth.
Further, the story of this night as told in Ideal, is a representation of what it means to be a human living on Earth. The hero is the elegant and elusive movie star Kay Gonda. Ms Gonda is the most beautiful woman in the world, and the biggest and most loved movie star. Ms Gonda's past is unknown and there is much debate about what about her is true and what is not. She has previously lived a hard and dangerous life. She is admired as being an ideal human, but no one quite knows why. The public is addicted to her movies but no one is quite sure why. No one that knows her, actually likes or understands her, or knows anyone that does. The answer seems to be that she lives a moral and virtuous life according to Aristotelian principles. People sense that Ms Gonda neither lives for anyone else or expects anyone else to live for her. Ms Gonda is seen as distant and unreachable. This seems to make people admire her more. Ms Gonda is seen as an ideal human. She is also seen as an ideal in an ethical sense that people can aspire to, or feel that they understand when they see her movies.
The story in itself seems simple. This is until one asks, why is Ms Gonda doing this, and why do the other players act in the way they do when they meet Ms Gonda? Th answer would seem to be that Ms Gonda is using this night to test her philosophy about humans. Ms Gonda seems to be asking if there are good humans on Earth, or are there other virtuous and moral people on Earth? Six people have written to her and expressed that they are moral humans and that they will live for her. All but one betray Ms Gonda and commit immoral or non-virtuous acts. In behaving in this way these people do not prove themselves to be the good humans that they claimed to be in their letters.
I did find one incident in the book, an act committed by one of these people, to be very violent and sad. Another person that did not let Ms Gonda down, was also immoral, however, because he let himself down. Ms Gonda's pure or "white" principles did not allow her to be concerned about or affected by the behaviour of these people. She also felt morally divorced from the consequences of the act of the one of these people that remained devoted to her.
In summary, Ideal, is a wonderful and thoughtful work. Ideal must be seen in the context of Ms Rand's greatest works that include We The Living and Atlas Shrugged. Kay Gonda is a great and perfect Ayn Rand female hero. She is very much an iconic figure in the style of the heroic and admirable Dagny Taggart, and the tragic and brave Kira Argounova.
July 5, 2022
1st time I am reading a novel that has then been turned into a play. A novel uses concepts and only concepts to present events, characters and the universe. A play uses percepts and concepts.
November 22, 2015
Contrary to most of the reviews I’ve read, I loved Ideal, and I thought it was very much Ayn Rand. It is a stunning masterpiece that I am very grateful it has finally been published, although Ayn Rand would not have agreed with me. It is incredible that she wrote such insightful pieces of work (both the novel and play deserve their own merit) at the early age of 20. I am almost 20, and I haven’t even written ONE novel nor ONE play, let alone anything close to the level of Ayn Rand’s Ideal.
Suffice it to say, I loved Ideal as much as I loved all of her fiction novels. Reading Ayn Rand’s fictional works produces quite a unique and indescribable experience. There are so many controversial things to find within her works, ideas that I don’t necessarily agree with, but they make one think and reflect, and form an opinion, and not merely inhale and accept entirely. It is a rousing, metaphysical and intellectual experience.
Ideal is a story of integrity to one’s ideals. Kay Gonda, a famous actress, received letters from six of her fans, who each claimed that she represented something that they’ve always wanted and would give everything for. She represented their ideals and highest values. Ayn Rand’s novel and play revealed what people really are willing to do to stay true to their ideals and highest values..
As it goes with any work of Ayn Rand, Ideal is not for everyone. Read at your own risk.
ORIGINAL SOURCE: https://booksandfilmmania.wordpress.c...
Suffice it to say, I loved Ideal as much as I loved all of her fiction novels. Reading Ayn Rand’s fictional works produces quite a unique and indescribable experience. There are so many controversial things to find within her works, ideas that I don’t necessarily agree with, but they make one think and reflect, and form an opinion, and not merely inhale and accept entirely. It is a rousing, metaphysical and intellectual experience.
Ideal is a story of integrity to one’s ideals. Kay Gonda, a famous actress, received letters from six of her fans, who each claimed that she represented something that they’ve always wanted and would give everything for. She represented their ideals and highest values. Ayn Rand’s novel and play revealed what people really are willing to do to stay true to their ideals and highest values..
As it goes with any work of Ayn Rand, Ideal is not for everyone. Read at your own risk.
ORIGINAL SOURCE: https://booksandfilmmania.wordpress.c...
September 2, 2015
Originally written as a novel and transformed by the author into a play, Ayn Rand's Ideal tells a story that underscores the need for "ideals" in life and how we turn our back on these if offered the opportunity to live from them. It tells of the events in the life of Kay Gonda, a larger than life movie screen goddess who is wanted for murder. She visits 6 different fans, a respectable family man, a cynical artist, an evangelist, a playboy, a far-left activist and a lost soul each who have written her heart felt letters about the value she brings to their very existence. Kay asks to stay for one night so that she can allude the police. All but one of the fans she visits can not or will not help her because she asks more of them than they can deliver. The end has a twist that while expected was not envisioned to be what occurred! It was very interesting to read the novel first and then the play because both literary forms evoke different responses from the reader. As the preface states, "a novel uses concepts and only concepts to present its events, characters, and universe. A play (or movie) uses concepts and percepts; the latter are the audience's observations of the physical actions, their movements, speeches et al.". Leonard Peikoff. The reader can experience each version differently with more activity and involvement in the play than in the novel. As only Ayn Rand can, she speaks for the artist in riveting prose that exites, devastates and challenges....the Idealist.
August 1, 2015
Okay, this is Ayn Rand's earliest novel, unpublished until recently, and the play she re-wrote with the same general theme.
While not as great as her later works, particularly Atlas Shrugged, this already shows the power in her writing. Her writing of a perfect man and the woman who idealizes that perfection. Her later character of Dominique Francon could be Kay Gonda in an earlier version. The description of Johnnie Dawes' garret could be John Galt's garret.
All in all, glad that I had the opportunity to experience Ayn Rand's writing again.
Who is John Galt?
While not as great as her later works, particularly Atlas Shrugged, this already shows the power in her writing. Her writing of a perfect man and the woman who idealizes that perfection. Her later character of Dominique Francon could be Kay Gonda in an earlier version. The description of Johnnie Dawes' garret could be John Galt's garret.
All in all, glad that I had the opportunity to experience Ayn Rand's writing again.
Who is John Galt?
August 12, 2016
A strange, faint perfume lingered in the air. It's called integrity. Moonlight made broad blue bands across the room. White light with shadows of blue light. Why is it not perfect? You don't want it to be. Man knows life isn't what it could be. Glorious, doomed crusades. Always returning empty. No good jokes? Anything to say? Endless weary days. The song of life without an answer. Seeing too much of what is not. It's about men's lack of integrity. The evil of divorcing ideals from life. An earth full of value betrayers.
August 4, 2015
Feeling lucky to get to read a novel by Ayn Rand which was never published before . Though it was written as a novel and a play big Rand chose to go with the play . Story of an actress Kay Gonda who chooses few of her fans who had written her letter. The letters and the eventual aftermath that follows when each of the fan sees the larger than life there goddess on screen Kay Gonda in their homes. Who ends up living up to the ideal , a stunning short novel. Wow!
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