∑ Back to Classical Literature.

FLATLAND

A Romance of Many Dimensions

With Illustrations by the Author, A SQUARE (EDWIN A. ABBOTT)

“Fie, fie, how franticly I square my talk”

[Fifth Edition, Revised]

Part 1 — THIS WORLD

Section 1. — Of the Nature of Flatland

Section 2. — Of the Climate and Houses in Flatland

Section 3. — Concerning the Inhabitants of Flatland

Section 4. — Concerning the Women

Section 5. — Of our Methods of Recognizing one another

Section 6. — Of Recognition by Sight

Section 7. — Concerning Irreglular Figures

Section 8. — Of the Ancient Practice of Painting

Section 9. — Of the Universal Colour Bill

Section 10. — Of the Suppression of the Chromatic Sedition

Section 11. — Concerning our Priests

Section 12. — Of the Doctrine of our Priests

PART II — OTHER WORLDS

“O brave new worlds, That have such people in them!”

Section 13. — How I had a Vision of Lineland

Section 14. — How I vainly tried to explain the nature of Flatland

Section 15. — Concerning a Stranger from Spaceland

Section 16. — How the Stranger vainly endeavoured to reveal to me in words the mysteries of Spaceland

Section 17. — How the Sphere, having in vain tried words, resorted to deeds

Section 18. — How I came to Spaceland, and what I saw there

Section 19. — How, though the Sphere shewed me other mysteries of Spaceland, I still desire more; and what came of it

Section 20. — How the Sphere encouraged me in a Vision.

Section 21. — How I tried to teach the Theory of Three Dimensions to my Grandson, and with what success

Section 22. — How I then tried to diffuse the Theory of Three Dimensions by other means, and of the result

Notes from XahLee.org

Flatland is a fiction written by Edwin Abbott in 1884. (34 thousand words) For detail about the author, see Wikipedia: Edwin Abbott Abbott↗ (1838-1926).

The annotation on the side is by me (Xah Lee).

* * *

In the first part of the fiction, you'll read a mock-history of humanity. Its class struggle, intrigues, dark politics, and massacres. In the second part, the author leads you sublimely into the mathematical wonders of dimensionality, in ways you cannot refuse to understand.

The quote used in the frontispiece “Fie, fie, how franticly I square my talk” is from Shakespeare's The Tragedy Of Titus Andronicus (1594), Act 3, Scene 2, where the protagonist is becoming mad and talking to himself. Titus is one of the most bloody literature in history.

The quote “O brave new worlds, That have such people in them!”, is a pun from Shakespeare's play The Tempest↗, which is famously punned in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World↗ (1932).

* * *

There are several film adaptions. Two of them are released in 2007. See the Wikipedia article Flatland↗ for detail.

There are also several “sequels” written by different people over the years.

A Chinese version translated in 1988 by 陈忱 can be seen here: http://www.matrix67.com/data/flatland.html .

Thanks to people on alt.usage.english who had given answers to my questions regarding some passages for my annotation. In particular, John Dean, Alan Hope.

See also:

∑ Back to Classical Literature.
Page created: 2006-02.
© 2006-2008 by Xah Lee.
Xah Signet