Flatland

Flatland

Summary

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A work that still poses provocative questions about perception and reality, Flatland is a brilliant parody of Victorian society where all existence is limited to length and breadth - its inhabitants unable even to imagine a third dimension. The amiable narrator, A. Square, provides an overview of this fantastic world - its physics and metaphysics, its history, customs and religious beliefs. But when a strange visitor mysteriously appears and transports the incredulous Flatlander to the Land of Three Dimensions, his worldview is forever shattered.

Written more than a century ago, Flatland offers an extraordinary animation of dimension, geometry and physical space that continues to resonate in contemporary science.

(P) Penguin Audio 2020

Reviews

  • At once a classic of science fiction, a playful brainteaser about geometry, a pointed satire of Victorian manners - and, finally, a strangely compelling argument about reason, faith, and the greatest mysteries of the universe
    The Wall Street Journal

About the author

Edwin Abbott

Edwin A. Abbott (1838 - 1926) was a leading scholar of the Victorian period. A schoolmaster from the age of 26, Abbott oversaw the education of many luminaries of the Edwardian era and beyond, including Prime Minister H. H. Asquith. In his retirement, Abbott devoted himself to writing theological discussions and biographies. In 1884, he wrote Flatland, a highly original work of satirical science-fiction that is now considered a canonical example of the genre.
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