Flatland

oxford world’s classics FLATLAND Edwin Abbott Abbott (1838–1926) was best known in his own day as an educator and theologian. A graduate of St John’s College, Cambridge, he served as headmaster of the City of London School from 1865 to 1869, during which period he broadened the curriculum to include English literature and science. He published numerous textbooks on grammar and rhetoric, including A Shakespearean Grammar (1869), as well as studies of the life and work of Francis Bacon. As an ordained Anglican priest, he adopted a liberal or ‘Broad Church’ approach that interpreted the Bible metaphorically rather than literally, a position that brought him into conflict with the more conservative theology of Cardinal Newman. His extensive writings on theology include sermons, historical novels imagining life in the early Christian era, and a ten-volume study of biblical interpretation. But it is to Flatland, the fanciful mathematical ‘romance’ published anonymously in 1884, that he owes his reputation today. Rosemary Jann is Professor of English and Cultural Studies at George Mason University. In addition to several articles on Abbott and Victorian views of the fourth dimension, she has published books on Victorian historiography and Sherlock Holmes and various studies of the uses of science in Victorian social thought. oxford world’s classics For over 100 years Oxford World’s Classics have brought readers closer to the world’s great literature. Now with over 700 titles—from the 4,000-year-old myths of Mesopotamia to the twentieth century’s greatest novels—the series makes available lesser-known as well as celebrated writing. The pocket-sized hardbacks of the early years contained introductions by Virginia Woolf, T. S. Eliot, Graham Greene, and other literary figures which enriched the experience of reading. Today the series is recognized for its fine scholarship and reliability in texts that span world literature, drama and poetry, religion, philosophy and politics. Each edition includes perceptive commentary and essential background information to meet the changing needs of readers. OXFORD WORLD’S CLASSICS EDWIN A. ABBOTT Flatland A Romance of Many Dimensions Edited with an Introduction and Notes by ROSEMARY JANN 1 3 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6dp Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York Editorial material © Rosemary Jann 2006 The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published as an Oxford World’s Classics paperback 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Departm