This work is a new way of telling Edwin A. Abbott’s classic novel Flatland, a story set in a 2-dimensional world featuring a quadrilateral narrator/protagonist. In this version Abbott’s words are kept intact, but instead of 'pages' they come in discrete 'scenes' and are augmented by new animated illustrations using PowerPoint’s own built-in animation features.

Flatland was a favorite story of mine in childhood, recommended to me by one of my favorite math teachers. The story is partly about expanding one’s mind, partly about math, but it’s also a social satire of the sexism and social hierarchy of the Victorian times in which he lived.

Because (almost) all of the characters in Flatland are two-dimensional geometric shapes, PowerPoint actually seemed like a natural tool to use to tell the tale in a more visual way to a modern audience. I hope this work introduces the story to people who haven’t encountered it, and I encourage anyone who likes it to read the original book and see Abbott’s original illustrations.

This PowerPoint file is only Part 1 of 2. Part 2 is forthcoming.

Other Links:
Flatland - Wikipedia
Flatland - Project Gutenberg