Thus, Flatland’s portrayal of a society’s attempt to suppress the “dangerous” knowledge of other dimensions can be seen as an indictment of hierarchical religious institutions (like the Anglican Church) that attempt to suppress curiosity and difference of opinion in favor of maintaining their own power.
Abbott was a devout Christian himself, as well as a prolific writer on Christian theology, and his books occasionally caused a stir in the powerful Anglican Church. Her choice here makes for a complete contrast to another work of fantasy she has done (and which I can also recommend) Jefferies' 'After London' - swopping the natural world for the mathematical.The disconnect between faith, knowledge, and religious orthodoxy is another aspect of Victorian England that Abbott uses Flatland to satirize. Reader Ruth Golding is, as usual excellent, dryly ironic when she needs be, with typically clear diction and enunciation. The merits of Abbot's book are that it more and more suggests to the reader a open mind towards the perception of things as they appear to be, as well as introducing the notion of a multi-dimensional reality.
The book is written by one who has temporarily escaped, after being introduced to the merits of a regular, 3 dimensional universe (or 'Spaceland') by a helpful visitor. A lesser echo to this is the one-dimensional 'Lineland', given a smaller section of its own, where vistas and understanding are even more circumscribed, or the extreme limitations of 'Dotland' (the solipsisms of which make up some of the most memorable moments in the book). The satire is clear: Flatland is somewhere that women are 'invisible', the ruling classes have no use for 'feeling', and where irregularity is frowned upon. It is a notably early work of its sort admired, amongst others, by Isaac Asimov. (Summary by Wikipedia)įor further information, including links to online text, reader information, RSS feeds, CD cover or other formats or languages (if available), please go to the LibriVox catalog page for this recording.įor more free audio books or to become a volunteer reader, visit .Ībbot's work describes a fantasy world descibed in geometry. However, the novella's more enduring contribution is its examination of dimensions in a foreword to one of the many publications of the novella, noted science writer Isaac Asimov described Flatland as "The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions." As such, the novella is still popular amongst mathematics, physics and computer science students. As a satire, Flatland offered pointed observations on the social hierarchy of Victorian culture. LibriVox recording of Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, by Edwin Abbott Abbott.įlatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an 1884 science fiction novella by the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott.
0 kommentar(er)
