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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I first read this book for my junior high school geometry class. I thought it was interesting and I remember that it had a lot of really neat mathematical ideas in it.
This second reading was very different. The book seemed to have a lot more to say about society, gender roles, and social hierarchies than about mathematics. I was upset by the way women were seen as "deficient in reason" and "irrational." It bothered me.
I did really like the way it reminded me to be open to things and ideas I don't yet understand. I can't picture a four dimensional shape, but that doesn't mean it couldn't exist. Neat reminder. Short book.
This second reading was very different. The book seemed to have a lot more to say about society, gender roles, and social hierarchies than about mathematics. I was upset by the way women were seen as "deficient in reason" and "irrational." It bothered me.
I did really like the way it reminded me to be open to things and ideas I don't yet understand. I can't picture a four dimensional shape, but that doesn't mean it couldn't exist. Neat reminder. Short book.
It’s a very imaginative tale about what a 2D world would look like and its society, which includes a rigid caste system, child experimentation, class riots, systematic oppression of women, domestic murder, and is short enough to read in one sitting. This is extended to 0D, 1D, 3D, and maybe 4D worlds. An interesting case of the 2D world being so simple and dull yet it is the limit of our understanding to imagine a 4 spacial dimension world.
This is actually my second time around reading Flatland, and I don't remember reading the prologue the first time, but I'm glad the square's grown more progressive views about women and isosceles triangles .
Spoiler
during his imprisonment
Don't be scared by the 1884 publishing date, this is a very readable and amusing, albeit slim, book that encourages all to think outside their boundaries.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Song: Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
It is easy to see why "Flatland" is a classic. It takes your world view and makes you think about it differently - in particular about the way you interact with the physical world around you. While the novella loses a bit of the oomph it would have likely had when it was first published, the idea of our your society is influenced by its physical dimensions (and potential communication with others) is powerful. There is a fair bit of sexism running through the novel by today's standards, but you could potentially even apply that to alien society you are reading about. Since it is short, the novel is really a must-read for all sci-fi fans.
3.75 STARS
I've known about Flatland for quite some time, forgot about it for most of that duration and finally rediscovered it and had to read it because I was curious. I did really enjoy the story, the criticism and the thought experiment. The text had me constantly reevaluating my own beliefs (thought that may be the wrong word) and I really loved its concern with different dimensions and observers' bias.
Naturally, this can also be read as a social critique which I also enjoyed. Considering the length of this, there is so much in here and I for one find it amazing that this was written in the 1880s.
I've known about Flatland for quite some time, forgot about it for most of that duration and finally rediscovered it and had to read it because I was curious. I did really enjoy the story, the criticism and the thought experiment. The text had me constantly reevaluating my own beliefs (thought that may be the wrong word) and I really loved its concern with different dimensions and observers' bias.
Naturally, this can also be read as a social critique which I also enjoyed. Considering the length of this, there is so much in here and I for one find it amazing that this was written in the 1880s.