An announcement from the Ayn Rand Center:
The Smithsonian Associates PresentsAyn Rand: A Philosopher Who Lived Objectively
A seminar by Shoshana Milgram Knapp
Who: Shoshanna Milgram Knapp is an associate professor of English at Virginia Tech
What: A seminar examining the development of Ayn Rand’s philosophy
Where: S. Dillon Ripley Center
1100 Jefferson Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20560Metro: Smithsonian Mall Exit (Blue/Orange lines)
When: Saturday, March 20; 9:30 AM 4:30 PM
Description: Ayn Rand (1905-1982) was the author of best-selling novels that have never been out of print and seven collections of essays that explore her philosophy, Objectivism. The essence of Objectivism, she said, “is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” These ideas are evident throughout her life and her body of work. This seminar examines the development of Rand’s philosophy through the course of her colorful life, including a childhood blighted by the Bolshevik Revolution; her experiences as a Broadway playwright, Hollywood screenwriter and political campaigner; and her renown as a lecturer and writer on her system of thought.
Admission: General admission $120
Discount rate for ARI/ARC donors $85 (Promotion Code 182197)Register online or call: The Smithsonian Associates, 202-633-3030
Quick Tix Code: 1M2-495Bio: Dr. Shoshana Milgram Knapp, who earned a Ph.D. in comparative literature at Stanford, is Associate Professor of English at Virginia Tech, where she specializes in 19th- and 20th-century fiction (English, French and Russian).
Her publications include articles on Chekhov, Dostoevsky, George Eliot, Fowles, Henry James, Hugo, Nabokov, Ayn Rand, George Sand, Herbert Spencer, Tolstoy and others. Her current long-term project is a study of Ayn Rand’s life from birth until 1957 (the date of the publication of “Atlas Shrugged”).
She has lectured on Ayn Rand at national conferences of MLA, NCTE and AATSEEL, and at the Smithsonian Institution, as well as at international conferences on John Steinbeck (Kyoto), Nevil Shute (Alice Springs, Australia) and Richard Wright (Paris).
More information: Visit Smithsonian Institution
Please note: This event is sponsored and organized by the Smithsonian Institution.
