Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Flatland with Notes and Commentary
- Part I This World
- Part II Other Worlds
- 13 How I had a Vision of Lineland
- 14 How in my Vision I endeavoured to explain the nature of Flatland, but could not
- 15 Concerning a Stranger from Spaceland
- 16 How the Stranger vainly endeavoured to reveal to me in words the mysteries of Spaceland
- 17 How the Sphere, having in vain tried words, resorted to deeds
- 18 How I came to Spaceland, and what I saw there
- 19 How, though the Sphere showed me other mysteries of Spaceland, I still desired more; and what came of it
- 20 How the Sphere encouraged me in a Vision
- 21 How I tried to teach the Theory of Three Dimensions to my Grandson, and with what success
- 22 How I then tried to diffuse the Theory of Three Dimensions by other means, and of the result
- Epilogue by the Editor
- Continued Notes
- Appendix A Critical Reaction to Flatland
- Appendix B The Life and Work of Edwin Abbott Abbott
- Recommended Reading
- References
- Index of Defined Words
- Index
22 - How I then tried to diffuse the Theory of Three Dimensions by other means, and of the result
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2013
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Flatland with Notes and Commentary
- Part I This World
- Part II Other Worlds
- 13 How I had a Vision of Lineland
- 14 How in my Vision I endeavoured to explain the nature of Flatland, but could not
- 15 Concerning a Stranger from Spaceland
- 16 How the Stranger vainly endeavoured to reveal to me in words the mysteries of Spaceland
- 17 How the Sphere, having in vain tried words, resorted to deeds
- 18 How I came to Spaceland, and what I saw there
- 19 How, though the Sphere showed me other mysteries of Spaceland, I still desired more; and what came of it
- 20 How the Sphere encouraged me in a Vision
- 21 How I tried to teach the Theory of Three Dimensions to my Grandson, and with what success
- 22 How I then tried to diffuse the Theory of Three Dimensions by other means, and of the result
- Epilogue by the Editor
- Continued Notes
- Appendix A Critical Reaction to Flatland
- Appendix B The Life and Work of Edwin Abbott Abbott
- Recommended Reading
- References
- Index of Defined Words
- Index
Summary
My failure with my Grandson did not encourage me to communicate my secret to others of my household; yet neither was I led by it to despair of success. Only I saw that I must not wholly rely on the catch-phrase, “Upward, not Northward,” but must rather endeavour to seek a demonstration by setting before the public a clear view of the whole subject; and for this purpose it seemed necessary to resort to writing.
So I devoted several months in privacy to the composition of a treatise on the mysteries of Three Dimensions. Only, with the view of evading the Law, if possible, I spoke not of a physical Dimension, but of a Thoughtland whence, in theory, a Figure could look down upon Flatland and see simultaneously the insides of all things, and where it was possible that there might be supposed to exist a Figure environed, as it were, with six Squares, and containing eight terminal Points. But in writing this book I found myself sadly hampered by the impossibility of drawing such diagrams as were necessary for my purpose; for of course, in our country of Flatland, there are no tablets but Lines, and no diagrams but Lines, all in one straight Line and only distinguishable by difference of size and brightness; so that, when I had finished my treatise (which I entitled, “Through Flatland to Thoughtland”) I could not feel certain that many would understand my meaning.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- FlatlandAn Edition with Notes and Commentary, pp. 210 - 219Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009