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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Hopefully A Square, pseudonym for Abbott Abbott, meant the social order in Flatland satirically. Mathematically seen it is a jewel.
Brilliant book! Loved the premise and all the explanations. Listened to it on audio, so I may have missed some of the better illustrations, but I think I got the gist of it (illustrations were explained by the reader). Social commentary and mathy nerdiness all rolled up together.
Flatland doesn't really become interesting until you meet the sphere. A. Square has spent a hundred pages explaining Victorian allegorical geometry, which is neat, but has a limited reach.
Then the sphere LITERALLY DROPS IN and is like "what about the third dimension, bud?" A. Square tries to stab him with one of his corners, but eventually gets on the Sphere's level (kind of literally), and becomes a convert.
What follows in the final chapters is part Allegory of the Cave, part Kafka, and a mindblowingly frustrating, but believable, representation of how we fail to get a clue and why and how it is so hard to grasp and retain knowledge fully.
It's not a thrilling read, but man does it hammer home its point at the end, in my opinion.
Then the sphere LITERALLY DROPS IN and is like "what about the third dimension, bud?" A. Square tries to stab him with one of his corners, but eventually gets on the Sphere's level (kind of literally), and becomes a convert.
What follows in the final chapters is part Allegory of the Cave, part Kafka, and a mindblowingly frustrating, but believable, representation of how we fail to get a clue and why and how it is so hard to grasp and retain knowledge fully.
It's not a thrilling read, but man does it hammer home its point at the end, in my opinion.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious about women in the 2D world.
If you go through the first part which is kinda pedantic, then it really takes shape (ha ha get it).
It really is a trip, just super weird and satirical, sometimes a bit didactic (but this is to be expected).
Favorite detail of the book: that women are all -for some reason- straight lines and so dumb that it's so hilarious (obviously satirical of course). It also led to the great line: "...as all Women are straight..." a̶r̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶
It really is a trip, just super weird and satirical, sometimes a bit didactic (but this is to be expected).
Favorite detail of the book: that women are all -for some reason- straight lines and so dumb that it's so hilarious (obviously satirical of course). It also led to the great line: "...as all Women are straight..." a̶r̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶
I just cannot, the satire was too much which maybe sounds stupid but idk. I didn’t love the writing, and even though the point was that everything was awful, everything was just so awful
A 2-dimensional being discovers the world of 3 dimensions.
It's amazing how a book written so long ago can still have so much relevance. The math is fascinating, but the satire of politics and social norms is also really compelling. Amazing how the more things change, the more they stay the same.