First published 1884
A Square lives in Flatland, where all existence occurs in two dimensions. Lines, Triangles, Squares, Pentagons, and Hexagons move freely across this flat world, but none can rise above or sink below its surface. A Square describes his country's physics, history, customs, and beliefs to readers from another realm. The inhabitants cannot conceive of a third dimension. Their world operates by strict rules that govern movement and social order. Then a mysterious visitor arrives and does the impossible. This stranger transports the bewildered A Square into the Land of Three Dimensions. The journey destroys everything A Square believed about reality. His understanding of existence crumbles as he witnesses depth and height for the first time. The experience transforms his perception forever, leaving him to grapple with truths his fellow Flatlanders cannot comprehend.
Genres: fiction, science-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century, academic, alternate-universe
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Flatland
Period: 19th-Century, 20th-Century
118 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics