Flatland
Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbottby Edwin Abbott Abbott
Shares rank 3 of 8 novellas by recommenders
Recommended for explaining dimensions in an easy-to-understand way; its sexist and classist elements satirize Victorian culture.
Recommended for explaining dimensions in an easy-to-understand way; its sexist and classist elements satirize Victorian culture.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Explains dimensionality in an easy way
“helps explain dimensionality in really easy to understand way”
Comment from 19 Jan 2026 in “Graphics In Flatland – 2D ray tracing [video]” “Flatland is an interesting way to think about dimensions.”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “You gotta think outside the hypercube” Praised as a fantastic book
“the fantastic book, "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions"”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” Satirizes Victorian culture
“it's got sexist and classist elements and satirizes victorian culture”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Graphics In Flatland – 2D ray tracing [video]”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Sexist and classist elements
“it's got sexist and classist elements and satirizes victorian culture”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Graphics In Flatland – 2D ray tracing [video]”
Other novellas people recommend
The four most recommended other novellas, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Farmby George Orwell | 22 | 5 | 81% | 10 | — | Approved |
| The Little Princeby Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | 18 | 4 | 82% | 3 | — | — |
| Flatlandby Edwin Abbott AbbottThis page | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Notes from Undergroundby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| A Short Stay in Hellby Steven L. Peck | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Flatland is an interesting way to think about dimensions.”
“it's got sexist and classist elements and satirizes victorian culture”
“helps explain dimensionality in really easy to understand way”
“the fantastic book, "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions"”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.