Reviews for Flatland

The average rating for Flatland based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-10-26 00:00:00 Laurie Mecca When you read this book, keep two things in mind. First, it was written back in 1880, when relativity had not yet been invented, when quantum theory was not yet discovered, when only a handful of mathematicians had the courage (yet) to challenge Euclid and imagine curved space geometries and geometries with infinite dimensionality. As such, it is an absolutely brilliant work of speculative mathematics deftly hidden in a peculiar but strangely amusing social satire. Second, its point, even about itself, is still as apropos today as it was then. We still do not really know what the true dimensionality of the Universe is. It seems somehow unlikely that it is just "four", even in terms of spacetime dimensions. String theory talks seriously about thousands of dimensions. Quantum theory implements very seriously infinite numbers of dimensions. And yet we are still stuck in our 3 space dimensions mentally, hardly able to visualize the 4 in which we live "properly" unless we study theoretical physics for a decade or three, and utterly unable to mentally imagine those four embedded in a veritable Hilbert's Grand Hotel of dimensions. Ultimately, this is a book about keeping an open mind. A really open mind -- avoiding the trap of scientific materialism and the trap of theistic idealism and the trap of any other favorite -ism you might come up with. Our entire visible space-time continuum could be nothing more than a single thin page in an infinitely thick book of similar pages, that book one of an infinite number of similar books on an infinite shelf, that shelf but one such shelf in an infinite bookcase of shelves, that bookcase but one in an infinite library of bookcases, that library but one... but by now you get the idea. We have a hard time opening our minds up to the enormous range of possibilities, preferring to live our lives mentally trapped in a single tiny period on just one of those pages, in pointland. We may be quite unable to actually perceive the space in which our tiny point is embedded, but our minds are capable of conceiving it, and Abbot's lovely parable is a mind-expanding work to those who choose to read it that way. rgb

Review # 2 was written on 2008-08-10 00:00:00 David Granatell Take a classically styled, 19th century satire about Victorian social mores…dress it up in dimensional geometry involving anthropomorphized shapes (e.g., lines, squares, cubes, etc.)…bathe it in the sweet, scented waters of social commentary…and wrap it all around humble, open-minded Square as protagonist. The result is Flatland, a unique "classic" parked at the intersection of a number of different genres, thus pinging the radar of a wider than normal audience to appreciate (or detest) it. Since I'm recommending the book, I'm really hoping for the former, as I do not want to incur a cyber-flogging (or worse) from my fellow "goodreaders." So...um...math. Let's get this out of the way right now. As I alluded to in my intro, this book contains MATH. Now I hesitate to even mention that, because of the potential angst that subject causes many of my friends. I certainly don't want people going all …and dashing away in a panic. Rest easy and increase your calm, the math is very minor. It's really limited to discussions of geometric figures in the context of how many spatial dimensions they inhabit. Damn, that didn't sound good either….just trust me, you won't need a slide rule, an abacus or a lifeline to Stephen Hawking to read the book. However, with that said, while the math is not tricky, some of the concepts can be a little brain twisty to try and visualize. Thus, I want to caution that when you get to the section where a three dimensional "Sphere" is explaining a universe containing only one dimension to our two-dimensional protagonist, you should….IMMEDIATELY…DISCONTINUE…READING…until you have: 1. burned some incense, 2. poured a big tumbler of whiskey, and 3. eaten a few "peyote" brownies, because the SHIT is about to get… PLOT SUMMARY: Written in 1884, the story is told by "A. Square," who lives in Flatland, a world of two-dimensions, which means length and width, but no depth (just like the Kardashians). The men of Flatland are multi-sided polygons, and the more sides an individual has, the greater their social standing. On the other hand, women are all simple lines and have no voice in the governing of the society. Yep...the Flatlanders are chauvinists. The book begins with "A Square" describing his life as part of the "professional class" and providing details on daily life in Flatland. This section serves as a In reality, this is a pretty good satire on Victorian London society, the social caste system and gender inequality. Later, "A Square" dreams of a one-dimensional world called Lineland, where the inhabitants exist as simple points along a straight line, as there is no other width or depth. I seriously hope you have that tumbler of whiskey and some brownies close by because you are going to need them. What follows is a fun, but somewhat confusing discussions during which "A Square" tries to explain the two-dimensional world to the king of Lineland. Eventually, our protagonist wakes up back in Flatland, only to find that he is now being visited by a Sphere from a three-dimensional universe…whiskey…peyote…now. Sphere takes our flatlander on a mind-expanding, eye opening journey to witness the wonders and mysteries of the higher and higher dimensions (3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.). Afterwards, "A Square" returns to Flatland to teach the wonders of such "enlightened" dimensions to his fellow flatlanders, the result of which is… …nope…no spoilers here! THOUGHTS: As I sit here, sober and "mostly" peyote free, I think I enjoyed the "ideas and concepts" of the story more than the actual plot. The writing was fine, but nothing that struck me as particularly eloquent. However, I've the concepts of the story have stayed with me and I have actually become more appreciative of the material as time has gone by. Overall, I liked the book. I think it's worth reading, but more for the interesting ideas and mental gymnastics that the narrative puts you through than for the simply enjoyment of the plot. Still, a worthwhile read, and since it's actually a novella, you can get through it quickly without a large time commitment. 3.0 stars. Recommended!