Honestly- I could talk about Flatland (the novel) for a loooong time. I genuinely think Edwin Abbott was cooking on levels people don't even stop to consider and boy could I get INTO IT! For the sake of this video though, I tried to keep that section under 15 minutes. Nonetheless, if anyone has a desire to discuss this story at length hit me up cuz I've DEFINITELY got more to say. Also! I had a really fun time with this video and realized I actually quite enjoy doing deep dives into niche subjects/fandoms. If anyone has any recs out there- let me know!
The choice to use Super Paper Mario music is so big brain. Also I'm so glad you included the "your brother is expendable" clip its so funny, genuinely my fav part of that film
Hi, I'm the author of A Romance of Many Dimensions! :D I wanted to leave a comment here too, because your video is very informative and I enjoyed it a lot. I knew about the first movie, the novel and the Italian version, but didn't know about all other pieces of media regarding Flatland, so thanks for letting me know! I will probably check the written sequels, they sound okay, even though maybe they're not on the same level as the original Flatland. I found that book when I was in my "quantum mechanics / M theory / discourse about dimensions" phase and it was love at first sight. Despite being an old work, it has some elements that are still relatable today, like the whole representation of Triangles as the cycle of poverty you mentioned. And, honestly, I always found the part about women to be a critique of their situation in Victorian society. Also, the chromatist revolution? So clever, I loved how it was supported and I loved even more how it was criticized: the explanations given (even though we consider them senseless) were coherent with the Circles' point of view and the rules of their society. It *made sense* for the world they lived in. And that made the whole thing even more enjoyable for me: a book that's clever, coherent in its internal logic and captivating? Total win. While speaking of the movies, the first one holds a special place in my heart, especially for being *this* rough around the edges: the bad CGI, the stupid voices, the silly music choices, ending the movie with the fucking Cucaracha... all while having lines that are a punch in the gut, like "Sssh, ignorance is bliss". Love the mix of serious and stupid, it deserves a lot. I didn't know the author turned out to be a shitty person and it's a shame, because the movie and its visuals are wonderful and worth all the rewatches.
@@LithosRain I’m glad you enjoyed the video! And yes Edwin Abott cooked SO HARD with Flatland the novel. I also really like the indie movie lol and will probably rewatch it again at some point. Always kinda sucky when people who make fun things are extremists…
The whackiest adaptation is Cixin Liu's "Three Body Problem" where the decay of the universe into lower dimensions is a direct consequence of the wars civilisations have been waging since the beginning of time due to the very realistic state of our universe, in which only the complete annihilation of any other civilisation you encounter is the rational choice. Civilizations use two dimensionalisation to destroy solar systems at an unstoppable and accelerating rate, causing some species to even adapt and reduce into the lower dimension voluntarily to survive the armageddon.
16:31 The Chief circle literally has a line in his speech, that explains how reconfiguration had been made optional. He then used that Irregular senator as “proof” that optional reconfiguration was a bad policy.
@@AJSSPACEPLACE did he explicitly mention reconfiguration? I thought he just referred to liberal policies in general… although I suppose that would include optional reconfiguration
fun fact: the sphereland movie is also part of the dionys burger 'Sphereland" multiverse (or main universe) flatterland and the rest of the flatland adaptations also imply infinite universes and infinite realities, hope this helps.
One thing I want to note about the ending of the flatland movie: The ending is not the first time we see the higher dimensional "sparkle"... when the woman commits suicide infront of A square we see it appear for a tiny moment. I think this is because both A square and the Line died accepting that higher dimensions exist. Even A sphere believes his dimension has to be the highest one, he is bigoted. While A Square and miss Line have realised that more exists and are open to this possibility. This is why they are saved by the sparkle.
I was introduced to flatland when my middle school math teacher showed us the newer movie on a Friday at the end of the year to "get us ready for geometry" which we would be taking the next year. I have really enjoyed it ever since. the running joke all throughout my four years of highschool was the whole class asking our math teacher if we could watch flatland
As someone who has never watched a full episode of Gravity Falls, but _has_ watched the Flatland movie once when I was bored in high school and loved Rob Bryant's "Imagining the Tenth Dimension" video series, I can confirm I'm not here for Bill Cypher.
This video was such a delight to watch, I had a brief but meaningful Flatland phase when i was like 12ish in 2017ish (I didnt even know GF referenced it until afterwards!) and seeing the book and it’s adaptations get some popularity from the book of bill has been such a surreal experience.
@@alphaamoeba yesssss I remember reading novel many years ago but I literally never knew there were movies until the YT algorithm decided to show me, I’m assuming bc of the general Gravity Falls revival recently. And I’m glad you liked the video!
In Flatland the movie (crappy CGI) A Square got flipped when he returned to flatland after all the 3d stuff. He could've proven the existence of the third dimension using that!
One thing about women that i’ve never seen anyone mention is that for 300 they haven’t been allowed any education, which seems to explain a lot about their perception as non-educated lower classes by A. Square.
Yesss it seems that their society regressed in that manner. Apparently the author was a school headmaster too and very pro-female education so there’s definitely some commentary he’s making in there.
You did a fantastic job dragging me not only into the flatland fan base, but also my geometry phase. My paperback copy of Flatland is on the way, and I commend you greatly for furthering my mathematic redemption arc
So I read the two explicit Flatland stories and...well. One seems very faithful to the original Flatland and is barely titillating (it's almost more of a treatise), whereas the other...okay, the other one is A. Square being down bad for A. Sphere. It was mostly amusing, but the sheer ecstasy A. Square felt did raise my temperature just a wee bit.
Watching the theatrical Flatland movie in Middle School genuinely ignited a love for geometry I never knew I had. Thank you for introducing me to all these other adaptations and spiritual successors because, it's definitely made me want to go and read the original.
so happy to see my boy Dayo mentioned, honestly i have way more info on his life and stuff that i havent written yet, unfortunately I'm too burned out to do anymore.
I can't believe I've been mentioned or even appeared in four videos in a row on this channel. I gotta keep that streak going! (Also everyone please be nice and ignore my obvious typo in those messages that I somehow made twice) But for real, great video as always. It's always a treat to see one of your hyperfixations turn into a super passionate and well thought-out video like this.
I LOVE FLARLAND !!!! ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ a friend showed me the indie film earlier this year and it blew my mind. the tone and style of it is so jarring in a way thats made it stick in my head forever and made me decide tgat i NEED to be showing this movie to people. i actually watched the hollywood adaptation as a kid in a math class in, like, 6th grade so when my friend was like "we should watch flatland" i was like. "... like the educational movie?"
@@MinerBat I honestly thought of that as I was writing this part of the script but the CGI in that show is actually pretty good lol so not exactly what I mean but closer for sure
@@SpaceChannelDelta i do agree that it is a nice aesthetic that we need more of. ratboy genius is also close (sometimes) but that is just an absolutely bizarre series anyway
I remember watching the Flatland movie specifically because of my obsession with Bill Cipher when I was 13, which then turned into an obsession about both of those things. I picked up that the way lines were treated was meant to be commentary back then already, but missed a lot of the other political commentary since I wasn't as educated on those topics. Recently, I got the movie recommended on my RUclips feed because of the Book of Bill reviving the fandom (Gravity Galls strikes again) and now as an adult, I could pick up more of the nuances in the story. I find the bad CGI and weird presentation of it to be kind of charming.
This was a fun video to come across, since I have read Flatland myself. It's been a long time since I've read it, however, so the overview was a good refresher. Also, yes, I'm 100% with you on the idea of bringing back that late 90s/early 00s animation. What was once technical limitations has become an aesthetic. :P
there is a Futurama episode called 2-D Blacktop i feel has to have been inspired somewhat by Flatland (it's title is also a parody of the film Two-Lane Blacktop). Professor Farnsworth joins a gang of street racing punks, and ends up in a two-dimensional world ruled by an really obstinate King who arrests him for saying a 3d world exists.
@ I just remember being like 10 years old (I was in a gifted students class) and understood almost none of what I was reading, yet at the same time I kinda hold a special place in my heart for this story and that time. Legit for years I thought nobody had ever heard of this story except for my class but over the years I’ve seen more people talk about it and that makes me happy to see! I’m only like 10 minutes into the video so far (can’t watch it all right now), but I’m already so excited to experience it a bit again!
I have not heard of flatland before, but like I'm now intrigued by it 😭😭😭 idk what the feeling is, but I feel discomforted by it yet fully interested in its premise! I tend to stick to dystopian but this sci fi premise is actually drawing me in! Also a sphere is a menace to society for flipping so many shapes 😭
no idea when i subscribed to you but i NEEDED this. i was OBSESSED with flatland when i was younger and this scratched the itch that ive had for years. thanks ^_^ (also ive never watched or indulged in any gravity falls concept so im here for flatland!!! rahh!!!)
Mostly came to this video because I've been working with higher dimensions a lot because I wanted to use higher dimensional elementary particles for magic, which requires a lot of jumping between 1, 2, and 3 dimensions to fit the concepts into my head, so flatland is helpful for understanding things.
ngl i checked the video just because i like shapes and 2d-specific characters and holy shit it's the perfect thing for me, i even have my own characters based off that concept. instantly adding flatland media into my to-read and to-watch list
Wow, I really appreciate this video! books and other science fiction media that engage with esoteric science is underappreciated genre, admittedly by me too😅
I read the chromatists in the movie being a metaphor for homosexuality: it would explain why Chromatistes has such a, well, stereotypical gay sounding voice, and Bush went very hard on the gay panic thing in 2004, even if he didn't literally round up and execute gay senators
i absolutely did :O ! absolutely fell in love with flatland a while back after randomly finding the 2007 film on my recommendation (and tbh after watching this in regards to how it follows the book , probably the best introduction but i wanna watch the others for curiosity sake haha) . love seeing anything flatland related really so i did beamed wheh i saw this deep dive recommend as well
This was actually really good‚ it's the first time seeing a documentary going into this much depth about flatland and it's many other interpretation. Hope to see you talk about other multi dimensional series‚ like Plainverse and Space land
@@SpaceChannelDelta well if I know anything from my 6 months out here is that thousands of people are willing to spend hours of their lives watching videos on topics theve never heard of before so I think it'll do well but just incase I'll spread the word about it as much as I can lol
!!!!!!!! Sorry to leave two comments but I also love your employment of the Super Paper Mario music, as playing it was also one of my favorite activities.
Something I find interesting regarding the unofficial sequels and fanworks, is that there's more of a focus on the math or the political aspects, but not on the religious ones you mentioned! It's understandable, as there's not many Mathematician Theologians these days, but I do feel that was an ingredient to making the original book so compelling! Like you said, there's so much "logical" explanations can illuminate regarding an experience or concept of a higher power. The shapes and the concept of grasping a third dimension is a good way to communicate that struggle, and I wish more works explored that! I think that's why I like the similar concepts explored with Bill Cipher, it's akin to someone seeing higher concepts no one else does and taking radical steps without the foresight of damage it might cause.
I've been a fan of Flatland since the 80s, was less impressed with Sphereland (since I did pick up on Abbott's satire) and having Asimov write the forward of a more woman-friendly retelling of the original brings up its own issues. I loved both the book and cartoon about the Dot and the Line (my parents were both math graduate students). Eventually I found the Flatland movies on RUclips a while back. I watched the longer one again earlier tonight and this essay was suggested and I thoroughly enjoyed your analysis of the original as well as the exhaustive look at the myriad works inspired by the original. Kudos!
Very nice. A quick note on What The Bleep Do We Know: the Flatland segment is by far the least offensive part of that movie. The rest of it is just absolute pseudoscience shlock, complete garbage full of quantum mysticism and other assorted nonsense (at some point they talk about quantum channeling of Ramtha). In an unrelated note, believe it or not there is not just one, but TWO roleplaying games based on Flatland: there's The Original Flatland Role Playing Game by Forgotten Futures, and Flatland (Inflated): the RPG by Red Anvil Productions (fun fact: as originally published, it was erroneously called *Edward* Abbot Abbot's Flatland (Inflated): the RPG). I actually ran an adventure in The Original Flatland RPG some ten years ago, called In The Mountains of Flatness. I've been meaning to run it again, but obviously it's a really hard sell! Find me three willing peeps and I'll run it again. Thanks for the video on this fascinating topic: I think Jasper Fforde was spot on in calling Flatland "the last original idea".
Yeah I looked into the movie more and it did seem like a lot of pseudoscience stuff lol. That's cool that there's Flatland RPG though! must be interesting to play. and yes honestly Flatland really does feel like an original idea, can't think of much else like it that came before it. Props to Abbott for that!
Regarding your theory about the animals and their connection to irregular shapes in Sphereland, I was reminded of the eurocentric rhetoric regarding evolution used to justify racism against Africans. They "resembled" lesser evolved animals and neanderthals, so they posited they weren't as smart as the pretty "perfect" Europeans. I have no idea how intentional that is on the author's part, likely not given the criticism you give to his portrayal of race and women, but I thought it was an interesting connection nonetheless!
@SpaceChannelJules we had to write a short essay about Plato, Descartes and Sartre, and their view of the world using a work of fiction, so I chosed Flatland (sorry for any spelling mistake)
So.... Where did you get the other versions I've already flatlandia, the indie film, 1960s version, the doctor quantum version', 60 degrees, that 2006 one, the robbery one. I haven't seen the Hollywood version and its sequel. Flixeon does "have" it but it doesn't host its own servers so it justs reroutes to other websites that don't work
@@pyroonbusinesschannel118 of course! And I’m sure the rest of the flatland fandom (all 30 of us) would love to see it too if you post it on tumblr or Twitter/X
I actually have the flatland book! Really good story(not northward, upward!) also seen the animated movie(look out it’s a woman). Also I had book of bill afterwards(REALITY IS AN ILLUSION)
Honestly- I could talk about Flatland (the novel) for a loooong time. I genuinely think Edwin Abbott was cooking on levels people don't even stop to consider and boy could I get INTO IT! For the sake of this video though, I tried to keep that section under 15 minutes. Nonetheless, if anyone has a desire to discuss this story at length hit me up cuz I've DEFINITELY got more to say.
Also!
I had a really fun time with this video and realized I actually quite enjoy doing deep dives into niche subjects/fandoms. If anyone has any recs out there- let me know!
I will forever remember the Flatland movie for the line "watch out it'a woman" and when the screen was just bold text saying "YES WOMEN CAN DO THAT"
"I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR!!"
I was here specifically for Flatland!
based
ME TOO!!!
Same!
Same
Same
The choice to use Super Paper Mario music is so big brain. Also I'm so glad you included the "your brother is expendable" clip its so funny, genuinely my fav part of that film
@@BookWyrmOnAString I couldn’t NOT use at least one SPM track 😂 also yess that part of the movie is unironically hilarious
Holy shit, I did not expect a story about shapes to be an allegory for eugenics and fascism
@@Alex-mf3jj Edwin Abbott was cool like that
Hi, I'm the author of A Romance of Many Dimensions! :D I wanted to leave a comment here too, because your video is very informative and I enjoyed it a lot. I knew about the first movie, the novel and the Italian version, but didn't know about all other pieces of media regarding Flatland, so thanks for letting me know! I will probably check the written sequels, they sound okay, even though maybe they're not on the same level as the original Flatland.
I found that book when I was in my "quantum mechanics / M theory / discourse about dimensions" phase and it was love at first sight. Despite being an old work, it has some elements that are still relatable today, like the whole representation of Triangles as the cycle of poverty you mentioned. And, honestly, I always found the part about women to be a critique of their situation in Victorian society. Also, the chromatist revolution? So clever, I loved how it was supported and I loved even more how it was criticized: the explanations given (even though we consider them senseless) were coherent with the Circles' point of view and the rules of their society. It *made sense* for the world they lived in. And that made the whole thing even more enjoyable for me: a book that's clever, coherent in its internal logic and captivating? Total win.
While speaking of the movies, the first one holds a special place in my heart, especially for being *this* rough around the edges: the bad CGI, the stupid voices, the silly music choices, ending the movie with the fucking Cucaracha... all while having lines that are a punch in the gut, like "Sssh, ignorance is bliss". Love the mix of serious and stupid, it deserves a lot. I didn't know the author turned out to be a shitty person and it's a shame, because the movie and its visuals are wonderful and worth all the rewatches.
@@LithosRain I’m glad you enjoyed the video! And yes Edwin Abott cooked SO HARD with Flatland the novel. I also really like the indie movie lol and will probably rewatch it again at some point. Always kinda sucky when people who make fun things are extremists…
The whackiest adaptation is Cixin Liu's "Three Body Problem" where the decay of the universe into lower dimensions is a direct consequence of the wars civilisations have been waging since the beginning of time due to the very realistic state of our universe, in which only the complete annihilation of any other civilisation you encounter is the rational choice. Civilizations use two dimensionalisation to destroy solar systems at an unstoppable and accelerating rate, causing some species to even adapt and reduce into the lower dimension voluntarily to survive the armageddon.
@@thickfingersw.1730 I’ve been meaning to read that series!
@@SpaceChannelDelta Oh no, sorry I spoiled it
@@thickfingersw.1730 no no, it’s ok! If anything now I’m more excited to read it
Jokes on you; I'm here in spite of Bill.
@@Fryguystudios 😂😂😂
I love when you say that women are just lines you turn into a line then when you mention women are held in higher regard you turn back
@@januarymagcalas-nones9 you get it!!
Pfff, your avatar suddenly into a line after explaining flat land women was genies 👍
16:31 The Chief circle literally has a line in his speech, that explains how reconfiguration had been made optional. He then used that Irregular senator as “proof” that optional reconfiguration was a bad policy.
@@AJSSPACEPLACE did he explicitly mention reconfiguration? I thought he just referred to liberal policies in general… although I suppose that would include optional reconfiguration
fun fact: the sphereland movie is also part of the dionys burger 'Sphereland" multiverse (or main universe)
flatterland and the rest of the flatland adaptations also imply infinite universes and infinite realities, hope this helps.
One thing I want to note about the ending of the flatland movie:
The ending is not the first time we see the higher dimensional "sparkle"... when the woman commits suicide infront of A square we see it appear for a tiny moment.
I think this is because both A square and the Line died accepting that higher dimensions exist. Even A sphere believes his dimension has to be the highest one, he is bigoted. While A Square and miss Line have realised that more exists and are open to this possibility. This is why they are saved by the sparkle.
@OnkelMachmuts interesting!
gosh had no idea there was a fandom for flatland! So here for it time to let this special interest grow!!
@@darks_arts it’s small but it’s fun!
I was introduced to flatland when my middle school math teacher showed us the newer movie on a Friday at the end of the year to "get us ready for geometry" which we would be taking the next year. I have really enjoyed it ever since. the running joke all throughout my four years of highschool was the whole class asking our math teacher if we could watch flatland
That's hilarious! Yeah like I said I'm not surprised that movie is popular among math teachers lol
@@SpaceChannelDelta This was a really great video, I'm really happy there are more flatland and math enjoyers out there
As someone who has never watched a full episode of Gravity Falls, but _has_ watched the Flatland movie once when I was bored in high school and loved Rob Bryant's "Imagining the Tenth Dimension" video series, I can confirm I'm not here for Bill Cypher.
@@dekucake based
This video was such a delight to watch, I had a brief but meaningful Flatland phase when i was like 12ish in 2017ish (I didnt even know GF referenced it until afterwards!) and seeing the book and it’s adaptations get some popularity from the book of bill has been such a surreal experience.
@@alphaamoeba yesssss I remember reading novel many years ago but I literally never knew there were movies until the YT algorithm decided to show me, I’m assuming bc of the general Gravity Falls revival recently. And I’m glad you liked the video!
In Flatland the movie (crappy CGI) A Square got flipped when he returned to flatland after all the 3d stuff. He could've proven the existence of the third dimension using that!
1:43 You changing from your avatar to a Line Segment should not have made me laugh as hard as it did lmfao
I'm glad you liked it hahaha
One thing about women that i’ve never seen anyone mention is that for 300 they haven’t been allowed any education, which seems to explain a lot about their perception as non-educated lower classes by A. Square.
Yesss it seems that their society regressed in that manner. Apparently the author was a school headmaster too and very pro-female education so there’s definitely some commentary he’s making in there.
I love these kinds of deep dives into obscure topics and I'm honoured to have my fanart featured here ^_^
Your art is so fun!!! I’m happy to include it
You did a fantastic job dragging me not only into the flatland fan base, but also my geometry phase. My paperback copy of Flatland is on the way, and I commend you greatly for furthering my mathematic redemption arc
I'm super happy to hear that! Geometry is one of the best math subjects imo!
Just today I remembered the existence of flatland. I'm glad to see such a high quality video on the topic released so recently!
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!
So I read the two explicit Flatland stories and...well. One seems very faithful to the original Flatland and is barely titillating (it's almost more of a treatise), whereas the other...okay, the other one is A. Square being down bad for A. Sphere. It was mostly amusing, but the sheer ecstasy A. Square felt did raise my temperature just a wee bit.
thanks for taking one for the team hahaha
I was here not for Bill Cipher or for Flatland, but to see how would you fit in Bill Cipher into a video about Flatland
Watching the theatrical Flatland movie in Middle School genuinely ignited a love for geometry I never knew I had.
Thank you for introducing me to all these other adaptations and spiritual successors because, it's definitely made me want to go and read the original.
No problem! I had no idea Flatland was basically a public domain franchise when I first read the story lol.
I saw the film of Flatland a few years ago and have been low-level obsessed with the implications ever since.
so happy to see my boy Dayo mentioned, honestly i have way more info on his life and stuff that i havent written yet, unfortunately I'm too burned out to do anymore.
@@gravityfallsfan6184eva understandable!
lmao when you described how women where "lines" and the next slide your character became a line
I had to stay accurate to the source material hahaha
I can't believe I've been mentioned or even appeared in four videos in a row on this channel. I gotta keep that streak going! (Also everyone please be nice and ignore my obvious typo in those messages that I somehow made twice)
But for real, great video as always. It's always a treat to see one of your hyperfixations turn into a super passionate and well thought-out video like this.
@@brendanblair64 at this rate you’re just going to become an Easter Egg in everything I make
@@SpaceChannelDelta I'm happy being the Waldo of this channel.
I LOVE FLARLAND !!!! ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ a friend showed me the indie film earlier this year and it blew my mind. the tone and style of it is so jarring in a way thats made it stick in my head forever and made me decide tgat i NEED to be showing this movie to people.
i actually watched the hollywood adaptation as a kid in a math class in, like, 6th grade so when my friend was like "we should watch flatland" i was like. "... like the educational movie?"
":yeah, you clckled foc bill cypher didn't you?"
Me, who actually read flatland and clicked for that: ):
Flatland my beloved, I desperately need more people to talk about this book.
same. needs to be part of the Western literary canon honestly.
Oh my me! How can me not mention pointland? Me am king of pointland! ME ME ME ME ME!
thx for the shout out! Loved the video!!!
ofc np!
Thank you for the credit! I love when people talk about this stuff, it's so cool!
no problemo!
19:22 amazing digital circus is like that to an extent
@@MinerBat I honestly thought of that as I was writing this part of the script but the CGI in that show is actually pretty good lol so not exactly what I mean but closer for sure
@@SpaceChannelDelta i do agree that it is a nice aesthetic that we need more of. ratboy genius is also close (sometimes) but that is just an absolutely bizarre series anyway
@@SpaceChannelDeltait’s got the *aeathetic* of old cgi, but perhaps not the choppy charm you’re looking for since it’s so polished
FLATLAND THE MOVIE I FUCKING LOVE FLATLAND THE MOVIE
I remember watching the Flatland movie specifically because of my obsession with Bill Cipher when I was 13, which then turned into an obsession about both of those things. I picked up that the way lines were treated was meant to be commentary back then already, but missed a lot of the other political commentary since I wasn't as educated on those topics. Recently, I got the movie recommended on my RUclips feed because of the Book of Bill reviving the fandom (Gravity Galls strikes again) and now as an adult, I could pick up more of the nuances in the story. I find the bad CGI and weird presentation of it to be kind of charming.
FINALLY SOME FLATLAND ANALYSIS
This was a fun video to come across, since I have read Flatland myself. It's been a long time since I've read it, however, so the overview was a good refresher.
Also, yes, I'm 100% with you on the idea of bringing back that late 90s/early 00s animation. What was once technical limitations has become an aesthetic. :P
there is a Futurama episode called 2-D Blacktop i feel has to have been inspired somewhat by Flatland (it's title is also a parody of the film Two-Lane Blacktop).
Professor Farnsworth joins a gang of street racing punks, and ends up in a two-dimensional world ruled by an really obstinate King who arrests him for saying a 3d world exists.
@@Big_Banes I’ve seen that episode! I’d be pretty surprised if Flatland wasn’t an inspiration
I didn’t click for Bill, I clicked for Flatland since that story haunted me in elementary school! :3
@@RedHeart-gt9xr wdym it haunted you? 😂
@ I just remember being like 10 years old (I was in a gifted students class) and understood almost none of what I was reading, yet at the same time I kinda hold a special place in my heart for this story and that time.
Legit for years I thought nobody had ever heard of this story except for my class but over the years I’ve seen more people talk about it and that makes me happy to see! I’m only like 10 minutes into the video so far (can’t watch it all right now), but I’m already so excited to experience it a bit again!
I, too, love crappy 2000's CGI.
It is an underrated aesthetic whose full potential has yet to be realised.
I have not heard of flatland before, but like I'm now intrigued by it 😭😭😭 idk what the feeling is, but I feel discomforted by it yet fully interested in its premise! I tend to stick to dystopian but this sci fi premise is actually drawing me in!
Also a sphere is a menace to society for flipping so many shapes 😭
@@Rosemadi.artist I’m glad you found some interest! And yes A Sphere needs to chill 😂😂
I feel like flatland counts as a dystopia tbh
@@BookWyrmOnAString it's giving dystopia tbh
no idea when i subscribed to you but i NEEDED this. i was OBSESSED with flatland when i was younger and this scratched the itch that ive had for years. thanks ^_^ (also ive never watched or indulged in any gravity falls concept so im here for flatland!!! rahh!!!)
@bugorgans hahah I’m glad the YT algorithm was able to point you here!
As a small child watching the flatland movie on RUclips in 480p was one of my favorite activities ^_^
Flatland is just straight up one of my favorite things. I need to reread the novella sometime, it's been awhile.
Mostly came to this video because I've been working with higher dimensions a lot because I wanted to use higher dimensional elementary particles for magic, which requires a lot of jumping between 1, 2, and 3 dimensions to fit the concepts into my head, so flatland is helpful for understanding things.
I'm really curious about the end of the 2007 Flatland as A square just falls into the void and is greeted by just a light and voice
@@jacksonhartman3187 same!
ngl i checked the video just because i like shapes and 2d-specific characters and holy shit it's the perfect thing for me, i even have my own characters based off that concept. instantly adding flatland media into my to-read and to-watch list
@@hyafrok that’s great to hear!! I hope you enjoy!
Flatland has a bigger fandom then I thought
@@bobkerman7978 it’s still pretty small but the fact that it exists at all is impressive tbh
I started reading the book thanks to you I only reed a few pages but I'm injoying it thanks bro
Wow, I really appreciate this video!
books and other science fiction media that engage with esoteric science is underappreciated genre, admittedly by me too😅
@@Александр-ц5с8у glad you liked it!
I read the chromatists in the movie being a metaphor for homosexuality: it would explain why Chromatistes has such a, well, stereotypical gay sounding voice, and Bush went very hard on the gay panic thing in 2004, even if he didn't literally round up and execute gay senators
finally a deep dive of this story . thank you genuinely !!
I'm glad you liked it!
i absolutely did :O ! absolutely fell in love with flatland a while back after randomly finding the 2007 film on my recommendation (and tbh after watching this in regards to how it follows the book , probably the best introduction but i wanna watch the others for curiosity sake haha) . love seeing anything flatland related really so i did beamed wheh i saw this deep dive recommend as well
This was actually really good‚ it's the first time seeing a documentary going into this much depth about flatland and it's many other interpretation. Hope to see you talk about other multi dimensional series‚ like Plainverse and Space land
AWWW YEAH NEW UPLOAD LET'S GET IT i know what I'm watching for the next 44 minutes 😅
lol thanks! It's a niche topic but hopefully you can still enjoy it!
@@SpaceChannelDelta well if I know anything from my 6 months out here is that thousands of people are willing to spend hours of their lives watching videos on topics theve never heard of before so I think it'll do well but just incase I'll spread the word about it as much as I can lol
nah im here for Flatland, that movie was so good for how obscure it is
I was traumatized by the film as a kid. Great video!
how were you traumatized lol
@ I was like 6 when I first saw it. the reconfiguration hospital scene ruined my day, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a while
I love the super paper Mario music in the background- a clever touch
@@CWorthStudios thanks! It just seemed too fitting!
!!!!!!!! Sorry to leave two comments but I also love your employment of the Super Paper Mario music, as playing it was also one of my favorite activities.
@@gamerrfm9478 it was just too fitting!
Also, I think that there is an scp that is literally flatland but instead of elevating a 2D-er you made him folliw you like a cult
@@tecnochilemapper4121 interesting! Do you know which SCP number it is?
@SpaceChannelJules no idea, my best guess would be in the 2 thousands
Something I find interesting regarding the unofficial sequels and fanworks, is that there's more of a focus on the math or the political aspects, but not on the religious ones you mentioned! It's understandable, as there's not many Mathematician Theologians these days, but I do feel that was an ingredient to making the original book so compelling! Like you said, there's so much "logical" explanations can illuminate regarding an experience or concept of a higher power. The shapes and the concept of grasping a third dimension is a good way to communicate that struggle, and I wish more works explored that! I think that's why I like the similar concepts explored with Bill Cipher, it's akin to someone seeing higher concepts no one else does and taking radical steps without the foresight of damage it might cause.
@krisstasko you get it !!!
43:46 "be shaped like a mark of communication" *arrow to mark of communication above Scug*
Rain World Refrence Detected.
I've been a fan of Flatland since the 80s, was less impressed with Sphereland (since I did pick up on Abbott's satire) and having Asimov write the forward of a more woman-friendly retelling of the original brings up its own issues. I loved both the book and cartoon about the Dot and the Line (my parents were both math graduate students). Eventually I found the Flatland movies on RUclips a while back. I watched the longer one again earlier tonight and this essay was suggested and I thoroughly enjoyed your analysis of the original as well as the exhaustive look at the myriad works inspired by the original. Kudos!
@@AngryAuditor thank you!
one of my fav videos and the flatland sona>>>> AAAA so fun :))))
@@bnnymew thanks!
Yes! I love the crappy cgi too!!
Very nice. A quick note on What The Bleep Do We Know: the Flatland segment is by far the least offensive part of that movie. The rest of it is just absolute pseudoscience shlock, complete garbage full of quantum mysticism and other assorted nonsense (at some point they talk about quantum channeling of Ramtha).
In an unrelated note, believe it or not there is not just one, but TWO roleplaying games based on Flatland: there's The Original Flatland Role Playing Game by Forgotten Futures, and Flatland (Inflated): the RPG by Red Anvil Productions (fun fact: as originally published, it was erroneously called *Edward* Abbot Abbot's Flatland (Inflated): the RPG). I actually ran an adventure in The Original Flatland RPG some ten years ago, called In The Mountains of Flatness. I've been meaning to run it again, but obviously it's a really hard sell! Find me three willing peeps and I'll run it again. Thanks for the video on this fascinating topic: I think Jasper Fforde was spot on in calling Flatland "the last original idea".
Yeah I looked into the movie more and it did seem like a lot of pseudoscience stuff lol. That's cool that there's Flatland RPG though! must be interesting to play. and yes honestly Flatland really does feel like an original idea, can't think of much else like it that came before it. Props to Abbott for that!
Regarding your theory about the animals and their connection to irregular shapes in Sphereland, I was reminded of the eurocentric rhetoric regarding evolution used to justify racism against Africans. They "resembled" lesser evolved animals and neanderthals, so they posited they weren't as smart as the pretty "perfect" Europeans. I have no idea how intentional that is on the author's part, likely not given the criticism you give to his portrayal of race and women, but I thought it was an interesting connection nonetheless!
Algorithm cooked. This video as amazing! I’ve heard about this far in the past but I don’t remember where from
I'm glad you liked it!
the omori music made it for me 🥺
I came here because I’ve seen the Flatland movie multiple time (the more mature one).
algorithm comment to prove there is engagement in the 3rd dimension
@@Izelikestea 😂 thx
Which film does a square convince a sphere the rob a bank
It's linked in the description!
I made a philosophy task around flatland
@@tecnochilemapper4121 I don’t know what this means but I am curious
@SpaceChannelJules we had to write a short essay about Plato, Descartes and Sartre, and their view of the world using a work of fiction, so I chosed Flatland (sorry for any spelling mistake)
@@tecnochilemapper4121 oh cool!
I didn't even notice that bill cipher was there.
nah i clicked this cuz it has flatlands (im a big dimension geek)
You should read Death's End by Cixin Liu then!
One of the most interesting world.
throwing my ass to undertale music in the flatlands video essay this was made especially for me thank u sm
@@leeanderrr pretty sure flatland attracts an undertale-adjacent crowd anyways 😂
jokes on you for the clickbait i already knew about flatland and its intrigue
Never seen more than an episode of gravity falls. Im here for geometry
based
Spherius can get it
WHAT
I respect that
I clicked for Flatland actually haha
I was here for flatland too
I clicked for flatland.
0:06 no I don't
you don't :(
JOKES ON YOU, I LOVE 19th CENTURY LIT.
I know that book and movie.
i'm here because i heard about flatland in that one alt text of that one xkcd
yippeee I love Flatland ^__^
I love flatland I clicked for flatland I am very excited for flatland . I have a shirt with that stupid square on it
I gotta check this book out sometime
@@rimfire8217 do it!
yay flatland!!
8:16 Issac Asimov is awful at writing characters so he gave me the impression that he's exactly the kind of person with poor media literacy lol
So.... Where did you get the other versions
I've already flatlandia, the indie film, 1960s version, the doctor quantum version', 60 degrees, that 2006 one, the robbery one.
I haven't seen the Hollywood version and its sequel.
Flixeon does "have" it but it doesn't host its own servers so it justs reroutes to other websites that don't work
@@Temporaryusername-i4h I believe internet archive or you can rent on Vimeo
I can’t trust you as you’re flat :(
@@CubeCookie you know what that’s fair
also care to see a drawing of my interpetation of flatlanders?
@@pyroonbusinesschannel118 of course! And I’m sure the rest of the flatland fandom (all 30 of us) would love to see it too if you post it on tumblr or Twitter/X
@@SpaceChannelDelta hey is it me or is youtube deleting my messages
I actually have the flatland book! Really good story(not northward, upward!) also seen the animated movie(look out it’s a woman).
Also I had book of bill afterwards(REALITY IS AN ILLUSION)
...I clicked for the weird looking guy in the top left.