Flatland the book?

Question

Can anyone give me a summary of the book flatland by Edwin A. Abbot. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Answer 1

In Flatland Abbott creates a fictional world of only two dimensions rather than three. Using his mathematical knowledge, he delineates a universe inhabited by two-dimensional beings. The narrator, a square, begins by introducing readers to his two-dimensional world, including its different types of life and its social order. A males position in this social order is determined by angles and sides: for instance, the square narrator, a lawyer, is higher in the social hierarchy than triangles (who tend to be laborers, soldiers, and merchants) but lower than more-complex regular figures.

The highest figures in Flatland are those with so many sides and angles that they are close to being circles. Parents aspire to have children who possess more sides and angles than themselves; while the term upward mobility would have no literal meaning in a two-dimensional world, this is the intent. In addition, figures with irregular angles are considered outcasts and criminals. Thus, Abbott subtly satirizes Victorian class distinctions in the three-dimensional world.

Abbott also satirizes gender differences in Flatland. In this two-dimensional world males are geometric figures and females are closer to line segments. Since this society values multiple sides and regular angles, women obviously are second-class citizens in Flatland. However, they are nonetheless powerful figures, since their sharp forms can puncture and deflate the males. Given this fact and their emotionally volatile natures, females in Flatland are governed by sets of rules that limit their full participation in society. Clearly in Flatland Abbott critiques the patriarchal Victorian paternalism in relation to women.

More here:
http://www.bookrags.com/Edwin_Abbott_Abbott

Answer 2

A two dimensional existence is like trying to solve a maze. In the third dimension it does not look like a maze any more: you can easily discern the start and finish and the various cul de sacs. That's what I took from the book.