Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
Product details
Author:Edwin A Abbott
Mass Market Paperback: 156 pages
Publisher: Signet Classics; New edition (Oct. 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451417852
ISBN-13: 978-0451417855
Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 1.2 x 17.1 cm
Book Description
With wry humor and penetrating satire, Flatland takes us on a mind-expanding journey into a different world to give us a new vision of our own. A. Square, the slightly befuddled narrator, is born into a place limited to two dimensions--irrevocably flat--and peopled by a hierarchy of geometrical forms. In a Gulliver-like tour of his bizarre homeland, A. Square spins a fascinating tale of domestic drama and political turmoil, from sex among consenting triangles to the intentional subjugation of Flatland's females.
He tells of visits to Lineland, the world of one dimension, and Pointland, the world of no dimension. But when A. Square dares to speak openly of a third, or even a fourth, dimension, his tragic fate climaxes a brilliant parody of Victorian society.
An underground favorite since its publication in England in1884, Flatland is as prophetic a science fiction classic as the works of H. G. Wells, introducing aspects of relativity and hyperspace years before Einstein's famous theories. And it does so with wonderful, enduring enchantment.
About the Author
Edwin A. Abbott(1838-1926), a Victorian of great intellect and wit, enjoyed success not only as a writer, but as a scholar, educator, and theologian. Educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, he was Headmaster of the City of London School from 1865 to 1889. During that time, his progressive belief in the importance of the study of English for every student, even before traditional classic curriculum, led him to write AShakespearian Grammar(1870) "to help solve most of the difficulties that will present themselves to boys." It ran to three editions within its first year of publication alone and continues to be a touchstone for Shakespearean scholars. In 1884, he wrote Flatland. First considered by many as merely "a pleasant tonic, and an excellent stimulant for boys," it was later recognized as a magnificent work of science fiction, as prophetic as those of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. Retiring to a scholarly life in 1889, he produced numerous other works, including Silanus the Christian (1907), Apologia: An Explanation and Defense (1907), Message of the Son of Man (1909), and Light on the Gospel from an Ancient Poet (Odes of Solomon) (1913).
Valerie M. Smithearned her PhD from the University of Connecticut. An associate professor of English at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, she is currently at work on a manuscript entitled Crossroads: Cultural Autobiography and Imperial Discourse.
John Allen Paulos is a Professor of Mathematics at Temple University and the bestselling author of eight books including Innumeracy, A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper, and Once upon a Number. He has been a columnist for ABCNews.com, Scientific American, and the Guardian, as well as the author of numerous reviews, articles, and op-ed pieces for a variety of publications. Among his many honors are the American Association for the Advancement of Science Award for Promoting Public Understanding of Science and the 2013 Mathematics Communication Award from the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics.
这本小说简直是文字构成的迷宫,每一次翻页都像是在踏入一个全新的维度。作者构建的世界观极其精妙,那些对不同形状居民习性的刻画,简直是入木三分,让人在会心一笑的同时,又忍不住思考我们自身所处的“三维”世界的局限性。书中对社会阶层、性别偏见乃至宇宙认知的探讨,都包裹在极其精巧的几何隐喻之下,读起来丝毫没有说教感,反而是充满了探索的乐趣。特别是那个主人公在经历了一场超乎想象的旅行后,那种认知被彻底颠覆后的挣扎与清醒,描绘得尤为深刻。我几乎能感受到那种“看透一切”的孤独感,那种既是解脱又是诅咒的复杂情绪。光是想象一下一个完全由线条和角度构成的社会,以及他们对于“高度”的理解,就足够让人沉醉许久。这本书的文字密度很高,但叙事节奏却掌控得恰到好处,不会让人感到枯燥,反而有种被智力挑战的兴奋感。读完后,我发现自己看日常的物体都多了一层审视的眼光,仿佛在寻找隐藏在平面背后的“第四维”的影子。
评分我发现这本书的伟大之处在于它的“普适性”。尽管故事背景设定在一个架空的二维世界,但它探讨的关于真理、权威、以及接受新思想的困难,却是跨越时代和维度的。这本书的语言简洁有力,没有过多冗余的装饰,所有的笔墨都用在了对概念的精确阐释和对角色心理状态的微妙捕捉上。特别是当主角试图向那些满足于既有“平坦”世界的居民展示“第三维度”的存在时,那种被视为疯子、被排斥的孤立感,读起来让人唏嘘不已。这无疑是对所有敢于挑战主流观念的先驱者们的一种致敬。它迫使你审视自己是否也生活在一个“平面国”中,是否因为习惯了固有的视角而错失了更广阔的真实。这本书的份量并不在于其篇幅,而在于它在读者心智上所产生的结构性改变。
评分这本书的阅读体验简直像是一场思维上的“清醒梦”。它不像那些充斥着动作场面的小说那样刺激,但它带来的智力上的震撼是持久而深刻的。作者对于维度概念的想象力令人惊叹,他成功地将一个纯粹的数学概念转化为充满戏剧张力的叙事核心。我被主人公探索真理的勇气所折服,那种面对既定事实却不愿屈从的内在驱动力,是整本书最动人的部分。每一次尝试向平面世界的居民解释“高度”或“立体”概念时的笨拙与挫败感,都让我感同身受。那种因为认知障碍而产生的悲剧色彩,非常具有感染力。它不仅仅是关于空间几何的故事,更是关于我们人类在面对未知、面对既得利益群体构建的认知壁垒时,所应持有的怀疑精神和探索欲望。这是一部需要反复品味,每一次重读都会有新发现的佳作。
评分这本书的叙事腔调非常独特,带着一种维多利亚时代绅士的口吻,娓娓道来,但其内核却是对僵化教条的猛烈抨击。这种反差感制造了一种奇特的阅读体验——表面上是沉稳的报告,骨子里却是颠覆性的宣言。我尤其喜欢书中对于社会等级的描绘,女性被限制在一条直线上,而男性则随着边角的增加而地位提升,这简直是对等级制度最犀利、最不留情面的讽刺。这种将社会学理论直接转化为几何规则的做法,是该书文学成就的关键所在。它没有空泛地谈论不平等,而是让读者亲眼目睹了这种不平等是如何在逻辑上被“构造”出来的。虽然初读可能会觉得有些过于理论化,但一旦适应了这种独特的叙事节奏和逻辑设定,你会发现自己被牢牢地吸引住了,想要知道主人公如何挣脱这个二维牢笼,以及他带回的“真相”在平面社会中引发了怎样的地震。
评分老实说,我最初是被这本书的“科幻”标签吸引的,但读进去后才发现,它远不止是简单的太空歌剧或未来主义幻想。它更像是一部哲学寓言,披着数学外衣的社会批判剧。作者用近乎冷峻的逻辑推演,一步步解构了我们习以为常的现实基础。那种从二维世界被拉入三维空间,那种视觉和认知的剧烈冲击,读起来非常具有画面感,尽管书中描述的场景都是抽象的几何图形。我特别欣赏作者在处理“不同维度生物交流障碍”时的细腻之处,那不仅仅是语言不通,更是根本认知框架的差异,这种处理方式极其高明,将哲学上的“不可知论”与现实的沟通困境巧妙地结合在了一起。每次合上书本,我总会花上几分钟时间,尝试用书中的思维模式去观察周围的人和事,看看能不能从中解读出更多隐藏的结构和规则。这本书的魅力就在于,它提供了一种全新的“看”世界的方式,即使只是一个简单的几何图形,也能被赋予深邃的意义。
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