Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 satirical novella by the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott. Writing pseudonymously as "a square", Abbott used the fictional two-dimensional world of Flatland to offer pointed observations on the social hierarchy of Victorian culture. However, the novella's more enduring contribution is its examination of dimensions; in a foreword to one of the many publications of the novella, noted science writer Isaac Asimov described Flatland as "The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions." As such, the novella is still popular amongst mathematics, physics, and computer science students. More...
Table of Contents
- (Pt. I) Of the Nature of Flatland
- Of the Climate and Houses in Flatland
- Concerning the Inhabitants of Flatland
- Concerning the Women
- Of Our Methods of Recognizing One Another
- Of Recognition by Sight
- Concerning Irregular Figures
- Of the Ancient Practice of Painting
- Of the Universal Colour Bill
- Of the Suppression of Chromatic Sedition
- Concerning our Priests
- Of the Doctrine of our Priests
- (Pt. II) How I had a Vision of Lineland
- How I Vainly Tried to Explain the Nature of Flatland
- Concerning a Stranger from Spaceland
- How the Stranger Vainly Endeavored to Reveal to Me in Words the Mysteries of Spaceland
- How the Sphere, Having in Vain Tried Words, Resorted to Deeds
- How I came to Spaceland and What I Saw There
- How, Though the Sphere Shewed Me Other Mysteries of Spaceland, I Still Desired More; and What Came of It
- How the Sphere Encouraged Me in a Vision
- How I Tried to Teach the Theory of Three Dimensions to my Grandson, and With What Success
- How I Then Tried to Diffuse the Theory of Three Dimensions by Other Means, and of the Result