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1、FlatlandFlatlandbyEdwinA.Abbott18841FlatlandPART1THISWORLDSECTION1OftheNatureofFlatlandIcallourworldFlatland,notbecausewecallitso,buttomakeitsnatureclearertoyou,myhappyreaders,whoareprivilegedtoliveinSpace.ImagineavastsheetofpaperonwhichstraightLines,Triangles,Squares,P
2、entagons,Hexagons,andotherfigures,insteadofremainingfixedintheirplaces,movefreelyabout,onorinthesurface,butwithoutthepowerofrisingaboveorsinkingbelowit,verymuchlikeshadows--onlyhardwithluminousedges--andyouwillthenhaveaprettycorrectnotionofmycountryandcountrymen.Alas,af
3、ewyearsago,Ishouldhavesaid"myuniverse:"butnowmymindhasbeenopenedtohigherviewsofthings.Insuchacountry,youwillperceiveatoncethatitisimpossiblethatthereshouldbeanythingofwhatyoucalla"solid"kind;butIdaresayyouwillsupposethatwecouldatleastdistinguishbysighttheTriangles,Squar
4、es,andotherfigures,movingaboutasIhavedescribedthem.Onthecontrary,wecouldseenothingofthekind,notatleastsoastodistinguishonefigurefromanother.Nothingwasvisible,norcouldbevisible,tous,exceptStraightLines;andthenecessityofthisIwillspeedilydemonstrate.Placeapennyonthemiddleo
5、foneofyourtablesinSpace;andleaningoverit,lookdownuponit.Itwillappearacircle.Butnow,drawingbacktotheedgeofthetable,graduallyloweryoureye(thusbringingyourselfmoreandmoreintotheconditionoftheinhabitantsofFlatland),andyouwillfindthepennybecomingmoreandmoreovaltoyourview,and
6、atlastwhenyouhaveplacedyoureyeexactlyontheedgeofthetable(sothatyouare,asitwere,actuallyaFlatlander)2Flatlandthepennywillthenhaveceasedtoappearovalatall,andwillhavebecome,sofarasyoucansee,astraightline.ThesamethingwouldhappenifyouweretotreatinthesamewayaTriangle,oraSquar
7、e,oranyotherfigurecutoutfrompasteboard.Assoonasyoulookatitwithyoureyeontheedgeofthetable,youwillfindthatitceasestoappeartoyouasafigure,andthatitbecomesinappearanceastraightline.TakeforexampleanequilateralTriangle--whorepresentswithusaTradesmanoftherespectableclass.Figur
8、e1representstheTradesmanasyouwouldseehimwhileyouwerebendingoverhimfromabove;figures2and3representtheTradesman,
