#edwin abbott abbott

[monstrousmuse]

I am not sure if anyone here has already made this connection or pointed this out (apologies if so), but while doing some research into Flatland/the 11 dimensions the other day, I discovered something pretty interesting…

…

In the ‘Book of Bill’ announcement video, as well as distorted, synthesised background music and the Morse Code (which has already been deciphered), we can also hear several lines of spoken dialogue, the first of which being the line: “some other mystic dimension”.

Timestamp: 0:04

Now, this line already raises several questions - which ‘dimension’ is being referring to here? And why is it considered to be ‘mystic(al)’? Well, we don’t have a definite answer to either of those questions just yet, but if you will humour me for a moment, I have a few suggestions. Either this ‘other mystic dimension’ could be referring to Bill’s own homeland, the Second Dimension (which would naturally be considered ‘other’, ‘mystic’ and generally unfamiliar to us, the readers), or perhaps, it is referring to the Third Dimension itself, or what is known as Spaceland (Height/Up) in Abbott’s novella. I think the latter to be far more likely, especially with what I am about to show you. This is where my excessive YouTube deep-diving habits came in useful.

…

During my research quest, I stumbled upon this video of the famous astronomer and science communicator Carl Sagan (take note of this name) explaining the concept of the Fourth Dimension, as well as other Flatland-adjacent things. And lo and behold, at 4:37, what do we hear?

“And the poor Square has to say: ‘Well, I was in some other mystic dimension called Up…”

Yes, that’s right. The exact words that were used in the promo video.

To provide you some context, here Sagan is recounting the experience of A Square who, with the guidance and revelations of A Sphere, has just returned from a recent foray into the Third Dimension, and is trying to explain his sudden disappearance and newfound knowledge of Height to his friends. So saying, it is likely that the ‘other mystic dimension’ being referred to in the BoB video is in fact, the Third Dimension, since this is a book that has been written from Bill’s perspective, and it seems that he will be filling in the role of A Square in this narrative, discovering the Secrets Of The Universe and all. Although, I must emphasise that this is still just speculation on my part, based on the assumption that Bill’s backstory will be pretty similar to, if not a direct retelling of Flatland:

“Flat minds in a flat world with flat dreams.”

Who knows, Alex Hirsch may just subvert our expectations entirely.

“I liberated my dimension (…)” / “Saw his own dimension burn. Misses home and can’t return.”

…

Anyway, I have another little piece of the puzzle to share. The line spoken in the announcement video isn’t merely a word-for-word recreation of what Carl Sagan said, It is Carl Sagan. They used a direct clip from an episode of Cosmos. This has me giddy with excitement, because Carl Sagan, a man with much notoriety within the scientific community, and many achievements and accolades to his name, is known to be one of Ford’s scientific idols.

The level of detail in this show, and I guess now in its extended literary canon’s advertisement material, is insane. Do with this information what you will. Perhaps there’s a connection here that will be expounded upon in the book. Perhaps it’s just a cool reference. Even so, it is a very intriguing one nonetheless, especially with the tie-ins to Flatland, theoretical physics and Ford’s hero-worshipping. It’s clearly intentional.

…

(If anyone is interested, here is an excellent meta which provides a very detailed exploration and analysis of Ford’s respective connections to Sagan and Tesla.)

[doomed-jester]

Edwin Abbott Abbott's Flatland deals heavily with the mistreatment of women in Victorian society, how they were relegated to second class citizens and seen as hysterical, violent and unintelligent by the men, especially of higher castes. He died about 9 years before the invention of the lobotomy, I kinda wanna hear what he'd have to say about it. Flatland 2: This Time We're Doing Neurosurgery on Women to Make Them More Agreeable

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

[bohemiarock2]

Mr. Square series consists of 4"X5" gesso treated cardboard with mixed media. There is approximately 400 pieces.

Mr. Square is the protagonist taken, based, inspired from Edwin Abbott Abbott's novela, FLATLAND (A Romance In Many Dimensions)

[necromancatrix]

If anyone wants to check it out, I made a first person Flatland thing in unity. You can't do much, but you can move around and observe some shapes men! I might add puzzle aspects later, but mostly I just wanted to see how easily I could show how the vision works there.

[ID: A screenshot of a game with a dark background, with white text at the top reading, "Welcome to sight reading practise. Knowing who you're looking at is an important skill in Flatland: if you're not careful you could offend someone, or hurt yourself on a corner. See if you can guess what each of these shapes are." Below this is a dark bar, with the option to check a box marked "Top view" instead. Inside the black bar is a grey bar, with a lighter section inside it. End ID.]

[elegantzombielite]

"Men are divided in opinion as to the facts. And even granting the facts, they explain them in different ways."

Edwin Abbott Abbott, schoolmaster and theologian (20th December 1838-1926)

[bracketsoffear]

The Color Out of Space (H.P. Lovecraft) "An indescribable color leaches the life out of a patch of farmland and everyone on it."

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (Edwin Abbott Abbott) "Both a satire on Victorian hierarchies and a mathematical examination of lower and higher dimensions, Flatland's narrator has strange dreams of a one-dimensional Lineland where he can only be seen as a series of points on a line. Following this, he meets A. Sphere, whom he in turn can only see as a circle, and is exposed to the three-dimensional space of Spaceland. When he returns home to try and explain what he has seen, he is thrown into an insane asylum."

[postersbykeith]

[thestarlightforge]

It’s giving Flatland 💕

Just some headcanons I've been thinking about lately.

[el-candelabro]

Edwin A. Abbott y Planilandia: La Revolución del Pensamiento Dimensional

[irregularbillcipher]

this joke has a target audience of approximately 6 people worldwide

[doomed-jester]

A series of thoughts about Flatland:

- the men of Flatland appear as standard 2-dimensional geometric shapes while the women are straight line segments that appear so narrow as to be generally treated as "1 dimensional."

- the men of Lineland are notably 1 dimensional lines and are mistaken for women by A Square at first, but the actual women of Lineland are "points", actually lines so thin as to appear 0-dimensional.

- the fact that women are consistently depicted as being a single "dimension" lower than the males, it may be inferred that the females of Spaceland could be "2-dimensional" sheets. The fact that this is never alluded to could also be Abbott suggesting that Spacelanders are more enlightened on social issues and therefore their women are not reduced to a lower class. This could be interesting for someone to explore if they wanted to develop the worldbuilding in a fan project.

- Additionally, the King of Lineland mistakes A Square for a woman due to only having a single voice. A Square and his wife briefly mistake the Sphere for a woman until examining his angles (or lack thereof). Gender confusion is a recurring theme throughout the book it seems. I have to assume this is something to do with Abbott's feelings on the education of women (by having the more "advanced" or "enlightened" beings be mistaken for women, is he maybe trying to say that the gender divide is arbitrary and unreliable?)

[ajthecrocodile]

Shattered, broken, not yet dead

I’m fine

*starts bawling my eyes out*

[marlencore]

WOW СФЕРАТЫ (a sphere x a square)

haven't used ibis 4 months lolz

[phageblog]

ANOTHER FLATLAND IMAGE I CREATED!!!!!!!!!