Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
Edwin A. Abbott
1884
Seeley & Co.
The novella is written from the perspective of a fictional character, a Square, living in a Flatland a land of only two dimensions. The story is a satire on the Victorian culture and the social structure therein. However, it is also a good take on dimensions. It is evident from the writing that the author has a strong grounding in Mathematics and at times I was a bit foxed by the way Mathematics was being used here. But to be fair, it is nothing that the common person can’t understand. Mathematics in the book that is. I am not so sure of the critique of the bourgeois. But I think that is true for much of critical literature. It is often lost on the average reader which is exactly the readership that they should be targeting. Sad!
I also like the way the need to step out of one’s boundaries is highlighted in the book. And this I think, can be applied to everything in life- all dimensions, all disciplines, and all aspects of life.
I had picked up the book considering the uniqueness of the plot. It uis indeed a pleasure to read a book that is extraordinary in its conceptualization. It is not a literary joy to read but the thought behind it is every bit worth the time it takes to read.
Edwin A. Abbott
1884
Seeley & Co.
The novella is written from the perspective of a fictional character, a Square, living in a Flatland a land of only two dimensions. The story is a satire on the Victorian culture and the social structure therein. However, it is also a good take on dimensions. It is evident from the writing that the author has a strong grounding in Mathematics and at times I was a bit foxed by the way Mathematics was being used here. But to be fair, it is nothing that the common person can’t understand. Mathematics in the book that is. I am not so sure of the critique of the bourgeois. But I think that is true for much of critical literature. It is often lost on the average reader which is exactly the readership that they should be targeting. Sad!
I also like the way the need to step out of one’s boundaries is highlighted in the book. And this I think, can be applied to everything in life- all dimensions, all disciplines, and all aspects of life.
I had picked up the book considering the uniqueness of the plot. It uis indeed a pleasure to read a book that is extraordinary in its conceptualization. It is not a literary joy to read but the thought behind it is every bit worth the time it takes to read.