THE INTERPRETATIONS OF HENRY FORD’S IMAGE IN U. SINCLAIR’S NOVEL ‘THE FLIVVER KING’ AND AYN RAND’S NOVEL ‘ATLAS SHRUGGED’
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17072/2073-6681-2019-3-123-130Keywords:
American literature, Ayn Rand, Upton Sinclair, image of an enterpriser, capitalism, socialism.Abstract
The article provides a comparative analysis of Ayn Rand’s and Upton Sinclair’s novels Atlas Shrugged (1957) and The Flivver King (1937). It aims to show the specific features of Henry Ford’s image interpretation in the novels, taking into account that this image is considerable for the model of businessman peculiar to the American collective consciousness. The main character in both novels is an inventor and businessman, this image being controversial in American literature, which determined the scope of the research. Sinclair describes the real inventor and enterpriser Henry Ford, whereas Ayn Rand’s heroes are fictional characters, although created under the inspiration of the legendary inventor of the automobile engine. The study revealed discrepancy in the understanding of Ford’s hero by Rand. In particular, for businessmen she offers the philosophy of objectivism forming the practical thinker and the philosophical businessman as an alternative to socialism. The comparative analysis of the novels reveals such similarities as the motifs of invention and distrust of inventors and also the identical start of the heroes-entrepreneurs’ careers. As for the differences in the authors’ views, they understand the 'American dream' in different ways (a sarcastic understanding in Sinclair’s novel and an idealistic one in Rand’s) and, as a consequence, they show different attitude to the laissez-faire. This difference is obvious when we analyze the relationships between worker and master in both texts: in Sinclair’s text master and worker are opposed to one another, while Rand describes them as companions. Thus, neither of the authors describes real Henry Ford and both interpretations are only the author’s ones. The following methods were used for the analysis: systemic-holistic, biographical, comparative.References
Беляев Н. З. Генри Форд. URL: https://unotices.com/book.php?id=173583&page=1 (дата обращения: 10.02.2019).
Воскресенская Л. И. Реализм и оценочность в описании социокультурного развития в художественной литературе Соединенных Штатов // Вестник Омского университета. 2012. № 1. С. 140–144.
Гофман М. Американская мечта [электрон. ресурс]. 2013. 376 с.
Иванникова Е. С. Темы и образы в трилогии Айн Рэнд «Атлант расправил плечи» // Совре-менные проблемы гуманитарных наук в мире: сб. науч. тр. Казань: ИЦРОН, 2015. Вып. 2. С. 31–32.
Кауфман Л. Дело о Сакко и Ванцетти в романе Э. Синклера «Бостон» // Чайка: Seagull Magazine. 12 янв. 2018а. URL: https://www.chayka.org/node/8645 (дата обращения: 10.02.2019).
Кауфман Л. Эптон Синклер и социализм // Новая литература. 2018б. Март. URL: http://newlit.ru/~kaufman/6012.html#_ftn0 (дата обращения: 10.02.2019).
Корпоративный социализм // Промышлен-ность и общество: социальные проекты индустриального масштаба. URL: http://www.pioportal.ru/korporativny-j-sotsializm/ (дата обращения: 10.02.2019).
Рэнд А. Атлант расправил плечи / пер. с англ. М.: Альпин Бизнес Букс, 2009а. Ч. 1. 436 с.
Рэнд А. Атлант расправил плечи / пер. с англ. М.: Альпин Бизнес Букс, 2009б. Ч. 2. 424 с.
Рэнд А. Большой бизнес – преследуемое меньшинство американского общества // Рэнд А. Капитализм: Незнакомый идеал. М.: Альпина Паблишер, 2016. С. 53–75.
Рэнд А. Что такое капитализм? // Рэнд А. Капитализм: Незнакомый идеал. М.: Альпина Паблишер, 2016. С. 11–40.
Синклер Э. Автомобильный король // Синк-лер Э. Дельцы. Автомобильный король. М.: Правда, 1984. С. 201–383.
Тлостанова М. В. Эптон Синклер // История литературы США. Т. 5: Литература начала XX века (1901–1920). М.: ИМЛИ РАН, 2009. С. 525–543.
Форд Г. Моя жизнь. Мои достижения. М.: АСТ, 2019. 352 с.
Britting J. Anthem and The Individualist Manifesto // Essays on Ayn Rand’s Anthem / ed. by R. Mayhew. N. Y.: Lexington Books, 2005. P. 70–80.
Grigorovskaya A. V. The new type of hero in Ayn Rand’s novels and his historical roots // The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies. 2017. Vol. 17, № 2. P. 275–284.
Rand A. Capitalism vs Communism: видеоза-пись лекции Айн Рэнд // URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8XuKqQppWU (дата обращения: 10.02.2019).
Rand A. For The New Intellectual // Rand A. For the New Intellectual. N. Y.: Random House Inc., 1961. P. 7–48.
Rosenthal B. G. The Russian Subtext of «Atlas Shrugged» and «The Fountainhead» // The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies. 2004. Vol. 6, № 1. P. 195–225.
Sciabarra C. M. Ayn Rand. The Russian Radical. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2013. 477 p.
Letters of Ayn Rand / ed. by M. S. Berliner. N. Y., 1997. 254 p.
References
Belyaev N. Z. Genri Ford [Henry Ford]. Available at: https://unotices.com/book.php?id=173583&page=1 (accessed 10.02.2019). (In Russ.)
Voskresenskaya L. I. Realizm i otsenochnost’ v opisanii sotsiokul’turnogo razvitiya v khudozhestvennoy literature Soedinennykh Shtatov [Realism and evaluativeness in the description of social-cultural development in the literature of the United States]. Vestnik Omskogo Universiteta [Herald of Omsk University], 2012, issue 1, pp. 31–32. (In Russ.)
Gofman M. Amerikanskaya mechta [American Dream: digital edition], 2013. 376 p. (In Russ.)
Ivannikova E. S. Temy i obrazy v triologii Аyn Rend ‘Аtlant raspravil plechi [Themes and images in Ayn Rand’s trilogy ‘Atlas Shrugged’]. Sovremennye problemy gumanitarnykh nauk v mire: sb.nauch.tr. [Current issues of the humanities in the world: Collection of proceedings]. Kazan, IDCES Publ., 2015, issue 2, pp. 31–32. (In Russ.)
Kaufman L. Delo o Sakko i Vantsetti v romane E. Sinklera ‘Boston’ [The Sacco and Vanzetti
case in U. Sinclair’s novel ‘Boston’]. Chayka
[Seagull Magazine]. January 12, 2018а. Available at: https://www.chayka.org/node/8645 (accessed 10.02.2019). (In Russ.)
Kaufman L. Upton Sinkler i sotsialism [Up-ton Sinclair and socialism]. Novaya literature
[New Literature]. March, 2018b. Available at: http://newlit.ru/~kaufman/6012.html#_ftn0 (ac-cessed 10.02.2019). (In Russ.)
Rand A. Atlant raspravil plechi. Ch. 1 [Atlas Shrugged. Part 1]. Moscow, Alpin Business Books Publ., 2009a. 436 p. (In Russ.)
Rand A. Atlant raspravil plechi. Ch. 2 [Atlas Shrugged. Part 2]. Moscow, Alpin Business Books, 2009b. 424 p. (In Russ.)
Rand A. Bol’shoy biznes – presleduyemoe men’shinstvo amerikanskogo obshchestva [America’s Persecuted Minority: Big Business]. Rand A. Kapitalism: Neznakomyy ideal [Capitalism: The unknown ideal]. Moscow, Alpina Publisher, 2016, pp. 53–75. (In Russ.)
Rand A. Chto takoe kapitalizm? [What is capitalism?]. Rand A. Kapitalism: Neznakomyy ideal [Capitalism: The unknown ideal]. Moscow, Alpina Publisher, 2016, pp. 11–40. (In Russ.)
Sinclair U. Avtomobil’nyy korol’ [The Flivver King]. Sinclair U. Del’tsy. Avtomobil’nyy korol’ [The Money Changers. The Flivver King]. Moscow, Pravda Publ., 1984, pp. 201–383. (In Russ.)
Tlostanova M. V. Epton Sinkler [Upton Sinclair]. Istoriya literatury SShA. T. 5. Literatura nachala 20 veka (1901–1920) [History of the US literature. Vol. 5. Literature of the early 20th century (1901–1920)]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2009, pp. 525–543. (In Russ.)
Ford H. Moya zhizn’. Moi dostizheniya [My life and work]. Moscow, AST Publ., 2019. 352 p. (In Russ.)
Korporativnyy sotsializm [Corporate socialism]. Promyshlennost’ i obshchestvo: sotsial’nye proekty industrial’nogo masshtaba [Industry and society: social projects of industrial scale]. Available at: http://www.pioportal.ru/korporativny-j-sotsializm/ (accessed 10.02.2019). (In Russ.)
Britting J. Anthem and the individualist manifesto. Essays on Ayn Rand’s Anthem. Ed. by R. Mayhew. New York, Lexington Books, 2005, pp. 70–80. (In Eng.)
Grigorovskaya A. V. The new type of hero in Ayn Rand’s novels and his historical roots. The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, 2017, vol. 17, issue 2, pp. 275–284. (In Eng.)
Rand A. Capitalism vs Communism: video
recording of Ayn Rand’s lecture. Available
at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8XuKqQppWU (accessed 10.02.2019). (In Eng. with Russ. subs)
Rand A. For the new intellectual Rand A. For the new intellectual. New York, Random House Inc., 1961, pp. 7–48. (In Eng.)
Rosenthal B. G. The Russian subtext of ‘Atlas shrugged’ and ‘The fountainhead’. The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, 2004, issue 1, vol. 6, pp. 195–225. (In Eng.)
Sciabarra C. M. Ayn Rand. The Russian radical. Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University Press, 2013. 477 p. (In Eng.)
Letters of Ayn Rand. Ed. by M. S. Berliner. New York, 1997. 254 p. (In Eng.)
