Flatland
by Edwin A. Abbott
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is a classic 19th century novella that satirizes the social hierarchy of Victorian society using mathematical figures and ideas.
Source: Abbott, E. A. (1885). Flatland.Boston, MA: Roberts Brothers.
- Front Matter
- Opening quotes, dedication, and illustrations.
- Preface to the second and revised edition
- The preface to the book.
- Part 1, This World, Section 1: Of the Nature of Flatland
- The author explains to the reader the nature of Flatland.
- Part 1, Section 2: Of the Climate and Houses in Flatland
- The author uses shapes as a metaphor for males and females.
- Part 1, Section 3: Concerning the Inhabitants of Flatland
- The author describes the inhabitants of Flatland in regard to men and women.
- Part 1, Section 4: Concerning the Women
- The author explains his view of women.
- Part 1, Section 5: Of Our Methods of Recognizing One Another
- The author explains how inhabitants of Flatland recognize each other.
- Part 1, Section 6: Of Recognition by Sight
- The author continues to use geometric shapes to describe Flatland’s population.
- Part 1, Section 7: Concerning Irregular Figures
- The author clarifies a few things for the reader.
- Part 1, Section 8: Of the Ancient Practice of Painting
- The author talks about color.
- Part 1, Section 9: Of the Universal Colour Bill
- The author discusses the Art of Sight Recognition and the Universal Color Bill.
- Part 1, Section 10: Of the Suppression of the Chromatic Sedition
- The author discusses anarchy and a battle between the shapes.
- Part 1, Section 11: Concerning Our Priests
- The author describes the priests in Flatland.
- Part 1, Section 12: Of the Doctrine of Our Priests
- The author explains the basic doctrine of the priests.
- Part 2, Other Worlds, Section 13: How I Had a Vision of Lifeland
- The author has a vision of straight lines and assumes they are women.
- Part 2, Section 14: How I Vainly Tried to Explain the Nature of Flatland
- The author explains how he described Flatland to the king of Lifeland.
- Part 2, Section 15: Concerning a Stranger from Spaceland
- The author describes meeting a stranger in Spaceland.
- Part 2, Section 16: How the Stranger Vainly Endeavoured to Reveal to Me in Words the Mysteries of Spaceland
- The author describes what the stranger tells him of Spaceland.
- Part 2, Section 17: How the Sphere, Having in Vain Tried Words, Resorted to Deeds
- The sphere strikes back.
- Part 2, Section 18: How I Came to Spaceland, and What I Saw There
- The author describes his journey to Spaceland.
- Part 2, Section 19: How, Though the Sphere Showed Me Other Mysteries of Spaceland, I Still Desire More; and What Came of It
- The author describes his yearning for knowledge.
- Part 2, Section 20: How the Sphere Encouraged Me in a Vision
- The author describes his wife's reaction to the story.
- Part 2, Section 21: How I Tried to Teach the Theory of Three Dimensions to My Grandson, and with What Success
- The author describes how he attempted to teach three dimensions to his grandson.
- Part 2, Section 22: How I Then Tried to Diffuse the Theory of Three Dimensions by Other Means, and of the Result
- The author discusses his failure with his grandson.