Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Flatland with Notes and Commentary
- Part I This World
- 1 Of the Nature of Flatland
- 2 Of the Climate and Houses in Flatland
- 3 Concerning the Inhabitants of Flatland
- 4 Concerning the Women
- 5 Of our Methods of Recognizing one another
- 6 Of Recognition by Sight
- 7 Concerning Irregular Figures
- 8 Of the Ancient Practice of Painting
- 9 Of the Universal Colour Bill
- 10 Of the Suppression of the Chromatic Sedition
- 11 Concerning our Priests
- 12 Of the Doctrine of our Priests
- Part II Other Worlds
- Epilogue by the Editor
- Continued Notes
- Appendix A Critical Reaction to Flatland
- Appendix B The Life and Work of Edwin Abbott Abbott
- Recommended Reading
- References
- Index of Defined Words
- Index
4 - Concerning the Women
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2013
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Flatland with Notes and Commentary
- Part I This World
- 1 Of the Nature of Flatland
- 2 Of the Climate and Houses in Flatland
- 3 Concerning the Inhabitants of Flatland
- 4 Concerning the Women
- 5 Of our Methods of Recognizing one another
- 6 Of Recognition by Sight
- 7 Concerning Irregular Figures
- 8 Of the Ancient Practice of Painting
- 9 Of the Universal Colour Bill
- 10 Of the Suppression of the Chromatic Sedition
- 11 Concerning our Priests
- 12 Of the Doctrine of our Priests
- Part II Other Worlds
- Epilogue by the Editor
- Continued Notes
- Appendix A Critical Reaction to Flatland
- Appendix B The Life and Work of Edwin Abbott Abbott
- Recommended Reading
- References
- Index of Defined Words
- Index
Summary
If our highly pointed Triangles of the Soldier class are formidable, it may be readily inferred that far more formidable are our Women. For if a Soldier is a wedge, a Woman is a needle; being, so to speak, all point, at least at the two extremities. Add to this the power of making herself practically invisible at will, and you will perceive that a Female in Flatland, is a creature by no means to be trifled with.
But here, perhaps, some of my younger Readers may ask how a woman in Flatland can make herself invisible. This ought, I think, to be apparent without any explanation. However, a few words will make it clear to the most unreflecting.
Place a needle on a table. Then, with your eye on the level of the table, look at it side-ways, and you see the whole length of it; but look at it end-ways, and you see nothing but a point: it has become practically invisible. Just so is it with one of our Women. When her side is turned towards us, we see her as a straight line; when the end containing her eye or mouth – for with us these two organs are identical – is the part that meets our eye, then we see nothing but a highly lustrous point; but when the back is presented to our view, then – being only sub-lustrous, and, indeed, almost as dim as an inanimate object – her hinder extremity serves her as a kind of Invisible Cap.
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- Information
- FlatlandAn Edition with Notes and Commentary, pp. 34 - 44Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009