Man, you should read the novel. For all that Miss Rand is accused of stealing from Nietzsche, I submit that she got more from GWTW than she would ever admit. Look at the lateral leap from Kyra to Howard Roark. Look at the change in prose! I tell you right now that Rhett Butler made Rand randy ;-), and she derived more raw philosophy from Mitchell even than from Aristotle.
I have heard Miss Rand speak at length on many novels, and her knowledge of literature is astounding, but she has few words for GWTW, and for good reason - to prevent her readers from drawing uncomfortable comparisons. Every drop of social commentary found in The Fountainhead will have roots in GWTW, mostly from the mouth of Rhett Butler, who, to readers of The Fountainhead will appear very Randian indeed. He gave Miss Rand the words she needed to make her own philosophy expressible in American terms.
This thread is the first time I have ever seen anyone other than myself with such thoughts, and I could write a thousand word essay on the parallels between GWTW and The Fountainhead, but 1) that would be very intense work only to set myself up for derision, and 2) I love The FOuntainhead (and Miss Rand) too much to broach an unnecessary controversy.
