Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Flatland: A Journey of Many Dimensions, the Movie Edition by Edwin A. Abbott; (Introduction) Lori M. Campbell

This book is a delightful read. Written in 1884, this "memoir" tells the story of A. Square, a being in a two-dimensional world called Flatland. On the eve of the year 1999 in the Flatland calendar, A. Square -- who is a mathematician -- is visited by a creature from the third dimension, who introduces him to the fantastic world of three-dimensional space, and the possibility of worlds with four or even more dimensions. The original novel by Edwin Abbott contained a strong critique of Victorian Society, with its class divisions and subjugation of women. Besides these social commentaries, however, it also contained a fascinating discussion of multi-dimensional reality, which is amazing when once remembers that this book was written in the 19th century, or several decades before physicists started to seriously talk about extra dimensions. This short book is a wonderful work of fiction that captures the imagination, by leading the reader to wonder about their real place in the universe.

4 out of 5 stars