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A review by ilovegravy
Flatland by Philippe Blanchard, Edwin A. Abbott
3.0
*Exurb1a made me read it*
This was a very interesting read considering there was barely any plot, which also ended before it even started, and characters had barely any dimensions to them (*cough*)
It’s a story about a square living in his 2 dimensional word - Flatland; and how he learns there are worlds with more dimensions than his realm, and how that kind of knowledge is not only a bit of a mindfuck, but also a government-level secret. Essentially, a not-so-straightforward parable of our ignorance, thirst for knowledge, blindness due to custom-imposed beliefs, and arrogance of aspirations. Also apparently it’s a mockery of the political systems of the author’s times. The guy was writing sci-fi in the 19th century which is pretty wild, I guess.
The misogyny of Flatlands is so great, I got my answer as to whether there’s anything equivalent to Valerie Solanas’ “Scum Manifesto” just directed towards the opposite gender. It was brilliant.
The women of Flatlands are so mindless and evil that they cause pain and death simply by existing, i. e., due to their structure. They require a set of rules to abide to just so that others don't die - simply by coming across them:
“1. Every house shall have one entrance in the Eastern side, for the use of Females only; by which all females shall enter 'in a becoming and respectful manner and not by the Men's or Western door.
2. No Female shall walk in any public place without continually keeping up her Peace-cry, under penalty of death.
3. Any Female, duly certified to be suffering from St Vitus's Dance, fits, chronic cold accompanied by violent sneezing, or any disease necessitating involuntary motions, shall be instantly destroyed.” (lol 1)
However, when colour revolution happens and everything kind of goes ablaze, it’s only women and priests who can resist it. (lol 2) BUT THEN when they’re actually forced to submit to it, they indulge in a bit of craftiness and jump the social hierarchy from the very bottom to the very top. (lol 3) You go, girls.
Also there’s priests aka circles. And everyone knows they’re not actually circles, but that’s not up for a debate because the only way to establish their form is through means that are considered of the highest disrespect to them aka TOUCH. Also priests - sorry - CIRCLES, rarely have children but when they do… oh boy… they can be fractured to have more sides and that’s what we want because more sides - higher in the hierarchy. That happens through a special treatment in a special school where most of them simply die but teehee because MORE SIDES. Oh and circles are the cause of everything “worthwhile” that they, of course, don’t participate in themselves, but what is executed and lived-through by everyone else. *rich white men in the position of power laughing ominously*
Anyway, irregularity is vile and must be cured.
All the metaphors aside, the book was sort of like mathematical poetry. And it was great at that. I felt sorry for the square-man at the end and the sphere surely pulled a bit of dick-move by not intervening. But oh well, I guess you could say that Flatland’ians (?) were simply not ready for it. Or conformist. Or both.
If you’re into sci-fi at all - read it. Seriously. If not for the fact, it’s an experience in itself to try and imagine things in different number of dimensions, then for the fact that after 90 pages you can say you read a story about squares and lines, and spheres and other geometric shapes. People give you a very funny look when you tell them that. Would recommend.
This was a very interesting read considering there was barely any plot, which also ended before it even started, and characters had barely any dimensions to them (*cough*)
It’s a story about a square living in his 2 dimensional word - Flatland; and how he learns there are worlds with more dimensions than his realm, and how that kind of knowledge is not only a bit of a mindfuck, but also a government-level secret. Essentially, a not-so-straightforward parable of our ignorance, thirst for knowledge, blindness due to custom-imposed beliefs, and arrogance of aspirations. Also apparently it’s a mockery of the political systems of the author’s times. The guy was writing sci-fi in the 19th century which is pretty wild, I guess.
The misogyny of Flatlands is so great, I got my answer as to whether there’s anything equivalent to Valerie Solanas’ “Scum Manifesto” just directed towards the opposite gender. It was brilliant.
The women of Flatlands are so mindless and evil that they cause pain and death simply by existing, i. e., due to their structure. They require a set of rules to abide to just so that others don't die - simply by coming across them:
“1. Every house shall have one entrance in the Eastern side, for the use of Females only; by which all females shall enter 'in a becoming and respectful manner and not by the Men's or Western door.
2. No Female shall walk in any public place without continually keeping up her Peace-cry, under penalty of death.
3. Any Female, duly certified to be suffering from St Vitus's Dance, fits, chronic cold accompanied by violent sneezing, or any disease necessitating involuntary motions, shall be instantly destroyed.” (lol 1)
However, when colour revolution happens and everything kind of goes ablaze, it’s only women and priests who can resist it. (lol 2) BUT THEN when they’re actually forced to submit to it, they indulge in a bit of craftiness and jump the social hierarchy from the very bottom to the very top. (lol 3) You go, girls.
Also there’s priests aka circles. And everyone knows they’re not actually circles, but that’s not up for a debate because the only way to establish their form is through means that are considered of the highest disrespect to them aka TOUCH. Also priests - sorry - CIRCLES, rarely have children but when they do… oh boy… they can be fractured to have more sides and that’s what we want because more sides - higher in the hierarchy. That happens through a special treatment in a special school where most of them simply die but teehee because MORE SIDES. Oh and circles are the cause of everything “worthwhile” that they, of course, don’t participate in themselves, but what is executed and lived-through by everyone else. *rich white men in the position of power laughing ominously*
Anyway, irregularity is vile and must be cured.
All the metaphors aside, the book was sort of like mathematical poetry. And it was great at that. I felt sorry for the square-man at the end and the sphere surely pulled a bit of dick-move by not intervening. But oh well, I guess you could say that Flatland’ians (?) were simply not ready for it. Or conformist. Or both.
If you’re into sci-fi at all - read it. Seriously. If not for the fact, it’s an experience in itself to try and imagine things in different number of dimensions, then for the fact that after 90 pages you can say you read a story about squares and lines, and spheres and other geometric shapes. People give you a very funny look when you tell them that. Would recommend.