"Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions" is a satirical novella by Edwin A. Abbott, originally published in 1884. The story is set in a two-dimensional world inhabited by geometric shapes, where social hierarchy is determined by the number of sides an individual has. The protagonist, a square, narrates his life and experiences in Flatland, highlighting the rigid class system and the limited perception of dimensionality among its inhabitants. The novella serves as a critique of Victorian society and its restrictive norms, using geometry as a metaphor for social structures.
As the story progresses, the square encounters a three-dimensional sphere from a higher dimension, which challenges his understanding of reality. This encounter expands his mind and leads him to question the nature of his world, and he grapples with the idea of dimensions beyond his two-dimensional existence. The sphere attempts to enlighten him about the concept of a third dimension, but the square faces resistance and disbelief from his fellow Flatlanders, who are unable to comprehend a reality beyond their own.