English
PART1.
THISWORLD.
"Bepatient,fortheworldisbroadandwide."
Section1:OftheNatureofFlatland.
ImagineavastsheetofpaperonwhichstraightLines,Triangles,Squares,Pentagons,Hexagons,andotherfigures,insteadofremainingfixedintheirplaces,movefreelyabout,onorinthesurface,butwithoutthepowerofrisingaboveorsinkingbelowit,verymuchlikeshadows—onlyhardwithluminousedges—andyouwillthenhaveaprettycorrectnotionofmycountryandcountrymen.
Alas,afewyearsago,Ishouldhavesaid"myuniverse":butnowmymindhasbeenopenedtohigherviewsofthings.
PlaceapennyonthemiddleofoneofyourtablesinSpace;andleaningoverit,lookdownuponit.Itwillappearacircle.
ThesamethingwouldhappenifyouweretotreatinthesamewayaTriangle,oraSquare,oranyotherfigurecutoutfrompasteboard.
Assoonasyoulookatitwithyoureyeon theedgeofthetable,youwillfindthatitceasestoappeartoyouasafigure,andthatitbecomesinappearanceastraightline.
TakeforexampleanequilateralTriangle—whorepresentswithusaTradesmanoftherespectableclass.
Figure1representstheTradesmanasyouwouldseehimwhileyouwerebendingoverhimfromabove;figures2and3representtheTradesman,asyouwouldseehimifyoureyewereclosetothelevel,orallbutonthelevelofthetable;andifyoureyewerequiteonthelevelofthetable(andthatishowweseehiminFlatland)youwouldseenothingbutastraightline.
Well,thatisjustwhatweseewhenoneofourtriangularorotheracquaintancescomestowardsusinFlatland.
Asthereisneithersunwithus,noranylightofsuchakindastomakeshadows,wehavenoneofthehelpstothesightthatyouhaveinSpaceland.
Ifourfriendcomesclosertousweseehislinebecomeslarger;ifheleavesusitbecomessmaller;butstillhelookslikeastraightline;beheaTriangle,Square,Pentagon,Hexagon,Circle,whatyouwill—astraightLinehelooksandnothingelse.
Youmayperhapsaskhowunderthesedisadvantagescircumstancesweareabletodistinguishourfriendsfromoneanother:buttheanswertothisverynaturalquestionwillbemorefitlyandeasilygivenwhenIcometodescribetheinhabitantsofFlatland.
Forthepresentletmedeferthissubject,andsayawordortwoabouttheclimateandhousesinourcountry.
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