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A review by kvarkomancer
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Verdict: very interesting read, would not recommend.
As much as I love this book and think reading it was a personally life-changing experience that directly led to me becoming interested in topology as a field, it really shines through that it was written in the 19th century, and I put very heavy emphasis on the word really.
To summarize: it's a mind-bendingly original story—the kind of plot that you're extremely unlikely to ever see replicated-kind of original—that focuses on a square living in a two-dimensional society, when he suddenly finds himself experiencing and interacting with one-dimensional, and later three-dimensional worlds, which leads him to realize that his perception of reality and the rules of his society are heavily influenced by his particular sense of spatiality and dimension.
The book is essentially a satirical work that mocks the idea that was prevalent at the time that it would be futile to analyze objects beyond the third dimension, based on the unproven assumption that if humans are unable to perceive them, then there must be nothing beyond the third dimension. However, this may not be the case and may merely be a product of our limited sense of space, and that's what Edwin Abbott tries to convey through his work.
As much as I love this book and think reading it was a personally life-changing experience that directly led to me becoming interested in topology as a field, it really shines through that it was written in the 19th century, and I put very heavy emphasis on the word really.
To summarize: it's a mind-bendingly original story—the kind of plot that you're extremely unlikely to ever see replicated-kind of original—that focuses on a square living in a two-dimensional society, when he suddenly finds himself experiencing and interacting with one-dimensional, and later three-dimensional worlds, which leads him to realize that his perception of reality and the rules of his society are heavily influenced by his particular sense of spatiality and dimension.
The book is essentially a satirical work that mocks the idea that was prevalent at the time that it would be futile to analyze objects beyond the third dimension, based on the unproven assumption that if humans are unable to perceive them, then there must be nothing beyond the third dimension. However, this may not be the case and may merely be a product of our limited sense of space, and that's what Edwin Abbott tries to convey through his work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism