Flatland, first published in 1884, is an explanation of multiple space dimensions, with illustrations, in the form of a story that satirizes Victorian conventions. Loved by both mathematicians and non-specialists, this classic has been adapted to short films several times and referenced frequently in popular culture. The narrator of the story, A Square, lives in a flat two-dimensional world in which women are simple lines while men are polygons whose numbers of sides increase with status. A Square’s life changes when he is visited by A Sphere, who comes from a three-dimensional world.

At the time of publication, some criticized Abbott’s depiction of women, but as a reply, he wrote that the portrayal was meant to satirize existing viewpoints. Abbott (1838-1926) had a distinguished career as a schoolmaster, theologian and writer, and he wrote a number of other scholarly works. One of these is a textbook on the English language, How to Parse, subtitled An Attempt to Apply the Principles of Scholarship to English Grammar.

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