Flatland MOC - Mr A. Square

[greg3]

Hi

This is a quick MOC inspired by the book "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions". Written in 1884 by Edwin Abbott Abbott, the book describes a theoretical world of only 2 dimensions, populated by sentient shapes. The book deals with geometry and the possibility of different dimensions and at the same time satirises Victorian society, dealing with subjects such as class and the treatment of women. It's actually quite a good read and one of those books that really makes you think!

Anyway, my first Flatland MOC is the book's narrator and main character, Mr A Square.

This is how he appears to his fellow Flatlanders (In the foreward to the book, Abbott explains that Flatland is not strictly speaking 2 dimensional but everything in the land has exactly the same height which is incredibly tiny and there's no solid ground making it impossible for the Flatlanders to measure it.)

Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr

His true nature and how he would appear to a being able to move in 3 dimensions... i.e. us!!

I've tried to include features described in the book so you can see his square exterior is a thin shell open at the top and bottom. Inside this are his internal organs (including his brain located in the same corner as his single eye). Flatlander society is governed by shape - the more sides you have and the greater your angles are, the more important you are. Squares are considered to be part of the "Gentleman" class.

Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr

Building in "2 dimensions" was a lot harder than I expected it to be but I've got a few more Flatland inspired ideas in mind!! (Mr Square's wife is next)

Thanks for looking and feel free to comment!!

Edited March 9, 2014 by greg3

[Hrw-Amen]

OK, not familiar with the book, but it is an interesting topic. I'll have to stop by every now and then to see how it is progressing as it sounds like a really good project.

[ManInATopHat]

Interesting, I'm not familiar with the book either, but this is pretty cool.

[Asquare]

Ha!

I've been lurking here, but wasn't going to post anything for awhile, but i just had to register when I saw that nobody had responded to you that had read Flatland. I adore that book.

In fact, I've been thinking about it recently in conjunction with Lego myself. While many people have drawn parallels between the Lego movie and various themes, i actually was instantly struck by a comparison to Flatland.

Emmet is literally plucked out of his dimension and shown a new reality, just like A Square

Anyway, Flatland is a great book. Written with math & geometry in mind and the themes feel very compatible with Lego to me.

Long winded way of me saying, I like your MOC