It is rare when a book can both entertain and inform. Flatland, however, completes this task exceedingly well. Edwin A. Abbott’s novel is a unique lesson in dimensions. Abbott completes the duties of a mathematician or astronomer in his explanation of the universe’s dimensions, but the lens through which he teaches the reader is an incredibly compelling metaphor. In Abbott’s Flatland, we meet a middle class, square lawyer that lives in a world of second dimensionality. The women of his world are lines, the soldiers are isosceles triangles, and the aristocratic circle class rules over the land, led by the Head Circle. The world of Flatland is cleverly adopted to its second dimensionality, and Abbott spins well-constructed histories and social norms to explain the behaviors and survival of the people of Flatland. After an introduction to this new world, the second half of Flatland boldly goes into its exploration of new dimensions. The square journeys to Lineland, the first dimension, and Spaceland, the third dimension. He even travels to Pointland, a world that is a single point with zero dimensions. …show more content…
Abbott’s explanations of each dimension are brilliant. Using sketches and perspective, Abbott crafts lucid descriptions of each dimension. Flatland describes the fascinating physical relationships between different dimensions. An object in the third dimension can enter the second dimension, where it will be seen through a second-dimension lens. As occupants of the second dimension cannot see the three-dimensional physical universe, it will seem as though the object materialized out of nothing. This idea has incredible implications for the world of