Choose one of these approaches or prompts on which to base a 2-3-page essay. See the guidelines for literary analysis for style and format considerations.
Deadline: tbd
EVALUATION:
Prompt One: Abbott uses allusion on his original title page, in his preface to the second edition, and on the title page for Parts I & II of the novel. Discuss the meaning of one of Abbott’s references and its importance to establishing the theme of the novel.
Prompt Two: Abbott works to promote credibility over credulity. Illustrate how Abbott’s descriptions of the two-dimensional universe in the novel work toward achieving this goal. (CAUTION: Note your definitions of the two contradictory philosophies carefully! This is a tough prompt!)
Prompt Three: Describe the effectiveness of Abbott’s use of satire in the novel, noting in particular at least one of these elements: tone, language choice, symbol, irony.
INTERPRETATION:
Prompt Four: Abbott uses allegory to achieve a level of meaning more far-reaching than the prosaic romance he labels it. Forward one potential allegorical interpretation of the novel and support its validity.
Prompt Five: Abbott calls Flatland “a romance of many dimensions.” In one sense, the symbols in the novel have a multi-vocal aspect, speaking more than one meaning at a time. Choose one symbol from the novel to explain its many-dimensional meanings.
Hmm. Are you finding this difficult? I do not expect you to be able to master this on your own! Use the Discussion Boards and questions to me via e-mail to wrestle with the challenge of the question, how to narrow the topic down, and interpretation.