Flatland: who's who, timeline and places
Everyone in Flatland, what happens when, and where, without spoilers: tell us how far you have read and we show only what you already know.
- SquareThe narrator describes Flatland, where inhabitants move across a surface and see one another as lines.First seen in section 1
- GrandsonOne of the narrator’s grandsons appears in examples showing how movement and viewing angles complicate recognition.First seen in section 6
- ChromatistesChromatistes discovers simple colours and begins a fashion for painting bodies that makes recognition easier.First seen in section 8
- PantocyclusPantocyclus announces acceptance of the Colour Bill while arranging an attack on its supporters.First seen in section 10
- KingThe ruler of Lineland describes a world where inhabitants move and see along a single line.First seen in section 13
- SphereA mysterious visitor changes apparent size and defends the grandson’s suggestion about cubing.First seen in section 15
- WifeThe Square’s wife leaves before he examines the visitor and questions his claims about space.First seen in section 16
- Section 1
The narrator introduces Flatland and explains why its inhabitants see one another as straight lines.
- Section 2
The narrator explains directions, house design, and laws that restrict inquiry into Flatland’s constant light.
- Section 3
The narrator describes a social order based on bodily shape and methods used to preserve ruling privileges.
- Section 4
The narrator describes the dangers posed by women’s pointed bodies and the laws controlling their movements.
- Section 5
The narrator explains how hearing and touch identify people, despite unreliable voices and dangerous physical contact.
- Section 6
The narrator explains how educated Flatlanders use fog and differences in brightness to recognize shapes.
- Section 7
The narrator defends bodily regularity and laws that punish inhabitants with unequal sides.
- Section 8
Chromatistes introduces bodily painting, and the practice spreads until only Women and Priests remain unpainted.
- Section 9
Revolutionary leaders propose compulsory painting for Women and Priests while Soldiers and Artisans demand equal rights.
- Section 10
Pantocyclus pretends to accept the Colour Bill, then traps reformers in an assembly massacre.
- Section 11
The narrator describes priestly rule and dangerous medical treatments used to seek Circular status for infants.
- Section 12
The Square questions difficulties in the doctrine linking shape with conduct and argues against denying women education.
- Section 13
The narrator dreams of Lineland and questions its King about life confined to a single line.
- Section 14
The narrator fails to explain sideways movement to the King, faces threats, and wakes.
- Section 15
A mysterious visitor appears after the narrator rejects his grandson’s suggestion about the geometrical meaning of cubing.
- Section 16
The visitor identifies himself as a Sphere, but his demonstrations fail to convince the Square of three-dimensional space.
- Section 17
The Sphere removes a locked-away book and touches the narrator internally before declaring he will take him outside his Plane.
- Section 18
The Sphere carries the narrator through Spaceland, where he witnesses his brother’s sentence of lifelong imprisonment.
- Section 19
The Square demands knowledge of higher dimensions, but the Sphere rejects his arguments before he descends to Flatland.
- Section 20
The narrator dreams of Pointland, and the Sphere admits his mistake in rejecting exploration beyond three dimensions.
- Section 21
A proclamation deters the narrator from open preaching, while his frightened Grandson rejects lessons about three dimensions.
- Section 22
The narrator receives life imprisonment after publicly describing his experiences, and seven years pass without converts.
Hidden until you have read that far.
- FlatlandFlatland is a world whose inhabitants move across a surface but cannot move above or below it.First seen in section 1
- LinelandLineland is a world where inhabitants see only points and cannot pass one another.First seen in section 13
- SpacelandSpaceland is the three-dimensional world through which the Sphere carries the narrator.First seen in section 18
- ThoughtlandThoughtland is a setting the narrator uses in his treatise to discuss higher dimensions indirectly.First seen in section 22
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Start freeBack to the Flatland study guide · Quiz and flashcards
