#flatlander

I only ask because the narrative seems to draw inspiration from both. Gender in Flatland is determined by whether or not you're a shape or a line segment. The lower classes of triangles are irregular, and they are dehumanised (deconfigured?) To the point that they are considered to have smaller brains by the narrative based on angle size. I personally think that due to flatland's satire, and hints throughout the text, A square is an unreliable and biased narrator who is indoctrinated fully in the society of flatland. So what he says about the angle of triangles, and the smartness of women, shouldn't necessarily be taken for granted. I would be interested to know if the part about the triangles is a reference to phrenology and how stupid it is, but I digress.

Irregular flatlanders are reconfigured at birth. This suggests it's considered a disability, however, the irregularity doesn't seem to be disabling. In fact, the only effect it has on the person is that it makes their class impossible to determine - something which would have social effects. We also only see evidence of male children being born irregular, which is a common stereotype of autism, and the coupling with 'social detriments' being the result of irregularity, it could lead to this conclusion. However, I doubt that Abbot was commenting on this in 1884, though that doesn't prevent modern readers from taking it in this direction. I just think that he wouldn't have written 'reconfiguration' into the story, a deadly process of creating "regular" children if it was a metaphore for disability - it was often a lot more common after all to hide disabled folk away. Although, if any historians out there know about parallels in victorian society, I'd be really interested.

I'm most convinced by my reading that Abbott was talking about intersex children when writing about reconfiguration. Most of Flatland is a social commentary after all - following the wrongs of victorian society on how classes are treated, with a larger focus on women. Now, with sight recognition in flatland, women are mistaken for squares from certain angles, and sometimes for circles. Imagine if you will, an irregular semicircle - a male who would often be mistaken for a woman. Considering the sexism Abbott talks about in this world, I think that irregularity being a metaphor for being intersex is plausible. Especially since the children are reconfigured at a very young age.

remade spheres design [ because it was bugging me ] & FINALLY making flatlander designs (starting w a. squares wife ) cause ive been slacking off making em designs cause …… spheres ……….. and schools there 22 i guess

...some yet more spacious Space, some more dimensionable Dimensionality, from the vantage-ground of which we shall look down together upon the revealed insides of solid things...

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