Rating: 
Summary: Ok, but no story
Review: I was assigned to read this book as part of my online geometry course, and it was ok, except there is absolutly no story line to the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Some of my best friends are square
Review: The persecution of individuals is an abhorrent way of life in some lands. To be repressed simply for preaching a new view of things. To be imprisoned for your beliefs. I am thinking, at this moment, of one individual in particular who has had to suffer the humiliation of life without parole simply because he chooses to see things in a different way. Should the fact that this person is merely a square (four equal sides and corners) be any kind of an impediment towards our full understanding of him? As a recent convert to three-dimensional worlds, the author of "Flatland" (given, originally, as merely A. Square) describes his own two-dimensional existence as best as he is able. It is hoped that perhaps by publishing this petite memoir of his world and experiences he may shed new light on his predicament and perhaps even win a follower or two.
The world of Flatland (as opposed to our own multi-dimensional Spaceland) is a simple one. In it, the more sides an individual has, the (supposedly) greater intelligence and influence. Therefore it stands to reason that circles (which is to say, many sided polygons) rule as priests and all hexagons, squares, triangles, etc. hope to someday ascend or let their children ascend to that most worthy class. Women, sadly, are given short shift. They appear as lines (though the narrator does concede later on that they are perhaps more accurately described as very thin Parallelograms. The narrator goes on to describes how shapes in Flatland recognize one another, what their lives are like, and even gives a bit of brief historical background regarding the great Chromatic Sedition that almost made all shapes equal under the eyes of the law and society. The square then recounts the adventures he had when, in a dream, he approached Lineland and then was visited by a sphere preaching the gospel of the Spaceland. With the discovery of a third dimension the square is given to preaching about this new place to his fellows and, for his efforts, is summarily arrested and cast into prison from whence he writes this book.
"Flatland" was originally published in 1884, a fact that places some of its odder elements into (ha ha) perspective. Appended with a Preface that accompanied its second revised addition, the "author" (A. Square) responds to those critics that accuse him of classism and sexism. The square admits that years in prison may have, since the publication of the book, given him greater insight into both women AND his "betters". Just the same, it's difficult for a reader today to hear that women are "consequently wholly devoid of brain-power, and have neither reflection, judgement nor forethought, and hardly any memory" and not feel a little put out. On the other hand, we're dealing with some serious satire here, and we should treat the book accordingly. In general, it's a delight. Paving the way for such modern classics as "The Phantom Tollbooth" or even "A Wrinkle In Time" (the latter making at least one direct reference to "Flatland"), the book is a satire in the finest sense of the word. The narrator is, undoubtedly, unreliable which makes the entire book just that much more enjoyable. Author Edwin A. Abbott put an extraordinary amount of effort into this story. As is often the case with authors that slum in fiction, children's literature, or works of humor (right off the top of my head I'm thinking of Gilbert & Sullivan and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), "Flatland" was written as a bit of fluff and ended up (whether Abbott liked it or not) as the author's best known work.
Though a lovely concept, this book is perhaps best read by teens and adults rather that kids. I'm not saying that there won't be the spectacularly brainy ten year old who's a fan of both Math AND English and speeds through this book like butter. I'm just saying that such a child is in the minority and that you probably shouldn't foist a tale that contains such sentences as "Now, all our lines are equally and infinitesimally thick (or high, whichever you like): consequently, there is nothing in them to lead our minds to the conception of that Dimension". You get the picture. One fact I discovered to my own delight was that this book does not, in fact, require a firm grasp on geometry. It couldn't hurt, and I'm sure you'll get quite a lot more out of it than if you've heard of angles or circumferences, but it's not a prerequisite for enjoying this tale. As long as you've a certain amount of imagination and a will to suspend disbelief, you should be in the clear.
The Saturday Review of Literature once said that Flatland was, "One of the best things of its kind ever written". This seems to me to be somewhat backhanded praise since very few "things of its kind" HAVE ever been written. And shouldn't it be unequivocally be pronounced the best by default alone? To my mind, the book's well worth the reading. It deserves its praise and should be remembered amongst the best of the fantastical satires ("Gulliver's Travels" for example). It's a short book too, so you've really no excuse for not reading it. A delightful dip into the unknown.
Rating:
Summary: A Book that Introduces the Reader to Strange, New Lands
Review: +++++
In order to understand this twenty-two chapter book (first published in the mid-1880s) by Edwin A. Abbot (1838 to 1926), you have to understand what is meant by the word "dimension," a word in the book's subtitle "A Romance of Many Dimensions." A dimension is any measureable distance such as length or width. So something that has one dimension has only one measurable distance, something that has two dimensions has two measurable distances, and so on. You also have to realize that there are geometrical forms that can be drawn in these dimensions. Thus a line is such a form that only has one dimension, a triangle is such a form that has two dimensions that appears flat and non-solid, and a sphere is such a form in three dimensions that appears solid. (Another name for three dimensions is space.)
Part one (twelve chapters) of this book gives us a glimpse of the two-dimensional land where the narrator, Mr. "A. Square," comes from. This place, called "Flatland," is inhabitated by two-dimensional beings of which Square is one. These beings no nothing of "up" and "down." Square tells us details of Flatland society such as its resident's domestic life and its political turmoil. It is a place dominated by such things as a rigid social hierarchy, sexism, and closed-mindedness.
Abbot was a Victorian and his description of Flatland is meant to be a parody (using wry humor and biting satire) of English Victorian society. Abbot seems to have fun mocking the upper classes of the 1880s in his book. I found that much of what Abbot says can be applied to modern society.
As an example, Square tells us of the social hierarchy that exists: "Our women are straight lines. Our soldiers and lowest classes of workmen are Triangles with two equal sides [called an Isosceles triangle]...Our middle class consists of Equilateral or equal sided triangles...Our professional men...are Squares...and five-sided figures, or Hexagons, and thence rising in the number of their sides till they receive the honorable title of Polygonal, or many-sided...Finally when the number of sides becomes so numerous...that the figure cannot be distinguished from a Circle, he is included in the Circular or Priestly order; and this is the highest class of all."
Part two (ten chapters) of this book is very interesting since Square tells us of his visits to "Lineland" (a land of one dimension), "Spaceland" (a land of three dimensions, a land Earthlings are used too), and "Pointland" (a land of no dimensions). Readers will find that they will have to adjust their thinking every time the two-dimensional Square visits a world of different dimensions. For example, when Square meets "Sphere" (of Spaceland), the reader will have to "see" Sphere as Square does--in two dimensions. The end of this part has Square realizing that three (and perhaps more) dimensions exist and trying to tell his fellow close-minded Flatlanders this.
My favorite sentence in part two occurs when Sphere makes an unexpected visit to Square's home (and Square doesn't know who Sphere is, fearing that he is a burglar). Square says, "The thought flashed across me that I might have before me a burglar or cut-throat, some monstrous irregular Isoceles, who by feigning the voice of a Circle, had obtained admission somehow into the house, and was now preparing to stab me with his acute angle."
Abbot, besides being a writer and educator, was also a theologian. So are their any spiritual or metaphysical aspects to this book? The answer is yes but this is not always obvious. For example, when Sphere makes his first unexpected visit to Square's home, he slowly seems to materialize in front of Square. Thus Sphere seems to be a supernatural, supreme being and Square refers to him as "your Lordship." Another example is Sphere sees Square as "a fit apostle for the Gospel of the Three Dimensions."
This book is written in Victorian English that may be difficult (for some) to comprehend at first. But I found that as I progressed further into the book and got used to this type of English, it becomes much easier to comprehend. The sketches found throughout the book also help immensely in getting across what Abbot was attempting to convey.
This book raises a number of questions, some of which are as follows:
(1) Why does our universe have three dimensions and not two or four?
(2) In what ways does our three-dimensional universe affect its physical, chemical, and biological properties?
(3) Do universes that have two, four, five, or more dimensions exist?
(4) If other universes of different dimensions do exist, then are there beings in these other dimensions?
Finally, for those who want a good non-fiction account of possible other dimensions, I recommend Dr. Michio Kaku's book "Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10TH Dimension" (1994).
In conclusion, this is a unique book that sparks your imagination and raises certain questions. Be warned though! By reading this book, you may become one in "a race of rebels who...refuse to be confined to [a] limited dimensionality."
+++++
Rating:
Summary: Terrific!
Review: Flatland is a great book for those who have the ability to think in an abstract way. If you appreciate mathematical puzzles, physics, or programming, you'll probably love Flatland. Although I liked it, I expect Flatland would be more popular among men than women.The book is relatively short and an easy read. It doesn't have much of a plot; instead, the narrator spends time explaining the nature of a two-dimensional universe, and compares it to three-dimensional "Spaceland". The book opens your mind - if two-dimensional characters can't see or imagine a three-dimensional universe, who is to say we can't see or imagine a four- or five-dimensional one?
Rating: 
Summary: A quite curious book
Review: I bought this book on a whim because it was so cheap, and I rather enjoyed it, despite it being a very short book. At the minute, it is circulating among my friends. The first part deals with the social structure and mores of the flatland society. I've heard that it's a critique of the way life was set up when the book was written, but I can't confirm that. It describes a world where women are seen as worthless nobodies who are dangerous without really noticing, and where people are judged and placed in social classes based merely on their appearance (more specifically, how many sides they have). The second part is why you should buy this book. It is the tale of what happens when one of the members of this two-dimensional society is taken and shown how life is lived in worlds of one, zero, and three dimensions. It is this part of the book which is absolutely fascinating, and convinced me that I will never be able to envision a fourth spatial dimension. I highly recommend this book as a singular novelty, and a very good read.
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