Other residents of Flatland include isosceles triangles, who make up the lower classes and aspire to be equilateral, and regular polygons with greater numbers of edges. All polygons aspire for themselves and their progeny to increase their number of edges, hoping to approach the circular ideal. However, all of this holds true only for the males.
Women are relegated to being line segments, with zero angle and hence little intelligence. Moreover, they are extremely dangerous because of their sharp endpoints. That night, A Square dreams of Lineland, a world that consists only of a straight line populated by points and line segments, the longest of which is the king.
A Square does his best to convince the king of the existence of dimensions beyond the one he knows, all to no avail. The next day A Square is visited by a creature from the higher dimensions. This being is a sphere, which impinges on Flatland, appearing as a circle that can change its diameter continuously at will.
The Sphere visits Flatland once every millennium, when he is allowed to try to convince Flatlanders of the existence of the third dimension. A Square, having recognized that the line world is a one-dimensional slice of Flatland and that Flatland is a two-dimensional slice of three-dimensional space, reasons by analogy that three-dimensional space is a slice of four-dimensional space and so on up the ladder of dimensions. The Sphere is taken aback by this suggestion and refuses to consider the possibility.
Even those who are supposedly enlightened have their own blinders on. Eventually A Square is returned to his planar world. Having seen his brother imprisoned just for being present when the Sphere entered the council chambers, he knows to keep his mouth shut and successfully does so for 11 months. But finally, hearing some Flatlander spout nonsense about the two-dimensionality of the universe, A Square can contain himself no longer and proceeds to espouse the gospel of higher dimensions.
For this he is imprisoned for life, because the leaders of Flatland do their best to suppress knowledge of any world outside their own. And so A Square forlornly relates his story to us seven years later, still imprisoned, having made not a single convert, questioning the reality of the higher and lower dimensions he has experienced, and by analogy, questioning the reality of his own two-dimensional existence as well.
Although Flatland does an excellent job of opening up the world of higher dimensions, it is at least as interesting for its social commentary. Abbott manages to pack a surprising number of the hot-button issues of his day into just a bit over pages. He satirizes the economic power structure and the chicanery employed by the aristocracy to restrain the impoverished masses.
In addition, Abbott certainly intends comparisons with the cave posited by Plato, within which people are chained so that they are only capable of looking at manipulated shadows cast on a blank wall.
But how do we interpret these images? In his introduction, Thomas Banchoff points out that there is no better way to begin exploring the problem of understanding higher-dimensional slicing phenomena than reading this classic novel of the Victorian era.
Square, a citizen of an entirely two-dimensional world. So if you don't have yet this book at home, go ahead and buy this edition. Due to global supply chain issues, book orders are currently taking days or longer to be delivered. Please order early for the holidays or consider shopping at your local bookstore. Seller: Antiquariat J. Used - Softcover Condition: Gut.
Condition: Gut. A Sprache: Deutsch Gewicht in Gramm: Published by MacMillan, London, Used - Hardcover Condition: F. From Australia to United Kingdom. Condition: F. Dust Jacket Condition: F-. A near fine copy. Published by Hirmer Publishers, New - Hardcover Condition: New.
Taking the female body for her muse, Janaina Tschape explores themes of the body and landscape, sex, death, renewal and transformation in paintings, drawings, photographs and video installations. This book deals with her work. Editor s : Tschape, Janaina. Num Pages: pages, colour illustrations. Dimension: x Published by Perseus, Cambridge, Introduction and Notes by Ian Stewart; xxvii, pages. Hardbound in very good condition in a very good dust jacket. Published by Perseus, Cambridge, MA, First printing thus.
Light edge wear, pages unmarked. Jacket has some edge wear, unclipped. Published by Dewi Lewis, , Used - Hardcover Condition: Fine. Condition: Fine. Fine in gray cloth with inset photo on front board. Published by Station Hill Press, Farrell, Stephen illustrator. Book is in very good condition. Published by Texas Monthly Press, Austin, First Edition Signed. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine.
A Flatland Fable is an emotionally resonant novel that captures the humor, heroism, and heartfelt drama in the lives of all of us. Remainder marks on tail edge and fore-edge.
Book has small bumps on corners and both ends of spine, bump on back top left corner, boards lightly faded on edges, small dent on tail edge of back board.
Pages are lightly tanned but clean. Dust jacket protected in archival plastic cover. DJ has some edge wear, crease on back flap. Seller: Stuart W. Used - Softcover Condition: Fine. Original Wraps. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. Kent Bash illustrator.
Fine in fine dust jacket and fine slipcase, as new, never read. With a companion chapbook entitled "Flatland" and numbered "12" laid in. All as issued. Published by Privately Printed, Harlan? Seller: Black Swan Books, Inc.
Not an ex-library copy. No remainder marks. No names or marks in the text. Most books shipped within 24 hours. All books mailed with Delivery Confirmation in a heavy cardboard box.
Fine condition. Selling Used and Rare books on line since April and from our bookstore in the heart of the Bluegrass since This interesting privately printed book concerns the assassination of William Goebel and the trials that followed. Used - Hardcover Condition: Near Fine. Condition: Near Fine. Like new copy. Used - Softcover Condition: Fine see description.
Soft Cover. Condition: Fine see description. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine see description. Kent Bash Cover Art illustrator. Signed see description.
0コメント