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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love this book. I think I've read excerpts before and the idea has always stuck with me.
Narrated by a square who lives in a 2D society, where circles reign supreme and pointy or irregular angles condemn you to a short or terrible life, this story describes the square's life within his 2D society and his struggle to accept the existence of other dimensions, particularly the 3rd dimension. In this society, women are straight lines and therefore considered to be the lowest and least intelligent class, ruled by feeling instead of logic. Shapes determine the form of other shapes by "feeling" or by seeing, using the ever-present fog or rain to mark the brightness of each of the receding sides when perceived at an angle.
When he is taken by a sphere into the 3rd dimension, our square narrator is overcome with the idea of many higher dimensions. He preaches his ideas in Flatland, where he is subsequently imprisoned by the circular ruling class since his words could cause uproar.
I so enjoy Abbott's imagination of this society and the short but compelling storyline. It's somehow very CUTE. It also reminds you to think past the limits of your own perception and "rebel" against the dimensions of your physical space. <3
Narrated by a square who lives in a 2D society, where circles reign supreme and pointy or irregular angles condemn you to a short or terrible life, this story describes the square's life within his 2D society and his struggle to accept the existence of other dimensions, particularly the 3rd dimension. In this society, women are straight lines and therefore considered to be the lowest and least intelligent class, ruled by feeling instead of logic. Shapes determine the form of other shapes by "feeling" or by seeing, using the ever-present fog or rain to mark the brightness of each of the receding sides when perceived at an angle.
When he is taken by a sphere into the 3rd dimension, our square narrator is overcome with the idea of many higher dimensions. He preaches his ideas in Flatland, where he is subsequently imprisoned by the circular ruling class since his words could cause uproar.
I so enjoy Abbott's imagination of this society and the short but compelling storyline. It's somehow very CUTE. It also reminds you to think past the limits of your own perception and "rebel" against the dimensions of your physical space. <3
slow-paced
The time it took me to finally finish this book is reflective of how painful it was. Archaic English is clearly not my cup of tea. The premise of exploring dimensions higher than the one we inhabit is an interesting one and the book deserves praise for attempting to explore it back when it was written in the 19th century. A mathematical fiction, this book explores the two-dimensional world of the narrator, a square, and its society and politics. It does well on the commentary of social hierarchies, however, the portrayal of women is distasteful and very reflective of its era. I'd expect it to make a modern, aware reader cringe. The conversation about dimensions rarely goes anywhere and keeps making rounds around the narrator's inability to grasp the third dimension. After a point, it's exhausting and makes the chapter on 3D geometry from my high-school mathematics textbook sound immensely more fun.
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ایدهی کتاب خیلی جالب بود، طنز کتاب هم همینطور. ترجمهی منوچهر انور هم بینظیر بود به نظرم.
Absolutely hysterical, and so topical. It really was a story about men because everyone was fighting for too long to ask questions and actually learn about each others’ motivations lmao— like why do the spheres only visit once every 1000 years? Why do they visit at all? What’s with the arbitrary rules? All things the square could have asked about.
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting premise, but the first half was pretty tedious. The second half, where the two-dimensional character encounters one- and three-dimensional worlds, kept me turning the pages. Glad I stuck with it, but I would recommend it only to math/science/philosophy geeks.
Nice idea and a good satire to critique social class BUT there’s a reason why i got 9% for my addmath during trial SPM.