Edwin Abbott Abbott (20 December 1838 – 12 October 1926) was an English
schoolmaster
The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled afte ...
,
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
, and
Anglican priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
, best known as the author of the
novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) fact ...
''
Flatland
''Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions'' is a satirical novella by the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott, first published in 1884 by Seeley & Co. of London. Written pseudonymously by "A Square", the book used the fictional two-dim ...
'' (1884).
Biography
Edwin Abbott Abbott was the eldest son of
Edwin Abbott (1808–1882), headmaster of the Philological School,
Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary.
An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it ...
, and his wife, Jane Abbott (1806–1882). His parents were first cousins.
He was born in London and educated at the
City of London School
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public school Boys' independent day school
, president =
, head_label = Headmaster
, head = Alan Bird
, chair_label = Chair of Governors
, chair = Ian Seaton
, founder = John Carpenter
, special ...
and at
St John's College,
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, where he took the highest honours of his class in
classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
,
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
and
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...
, and became a
fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of his college. In particular, he was 1st
Smith's prizeman in 1861. In 1862 he took orders. After holding masterships at
King Edward's School, Birmingham
King Edward's School (KES) is an independent day school for boys in the British public school tradition, located in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Founded by King Edward VI in 1552, it is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Bir ...
, he succeeded
G. F. Mortimer as headmaster of the
City of London School
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public school Boys' independent day school
, president =
, head_label = Headmaster
, head = Alan Bird
, chair_label = Chair of Governors
, chair = Ian Seaton
, founder = John Carpenter
, special ...
in 1865, at the early age of 26. There, he oversaw the education of future Prime Minister
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ...
. Abbott was
Hulsean lecturer in 1876.
He retired in 1889, and devoted himself to literary and theological pursuits. Abbott's liberal inclinations in theology were prominent both in his educational views and in his books. His ''
Shakespearian Grammar'' (1870) is a permanent contribution to English
philology
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as ...
. In 1885, he published a life of
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...
. His theological writings include three anonymously published religious romances – ''
Philochristus'' (1878), where he tried to raise interest in
Gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
s reading, ''
Onesimus'' (1882), and ''
Silanus the Christian'' (1908).
[
More weighty contributions are the anonymous theological discussion '' The Kernel and the Husk'' (1886), ''Philomythus'' (1891), his book ''The Anglican Career of ]Cardinal Newman
John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican priest and later as a Catholic priest and ...
'' (1892), and his article "The Gospels" in the ninth edition of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...
'', embodying a critical view which caused considerable stir in the English theological world. He also wrote ''St Thomas of Canterbury, His Death and Miracles'' (1898), ''Johannine Vocabulary'' (1905), and ''Johannine Grammar'' (1906).[
Abbott also wrote educational textbooks, one being ''Via Latina: A First Latin Book'' which was published in 1880 and distributed around the world within the education system.
]
''Flatland''
Abbott's best-known work is his 1884 novella ''Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions'' which describes a two-dimensional world and explores the nature of dimensions. It has often been categorized as science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
although it could more precisely be called "mathematical fiction".
With the advent of modern science fiction from the 1950s to the present day, ''Flatland'' has seen a revival in popularity,[Clute and Nicholls 1995, p. 1.] especially among science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
and cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and ...
fans.[Harper 2010] Many works have been inspired by the novella, including novel sequels and short films.
Bibliography
*
Via Latina: A First Latin Book, Including Accidence, Rules of Syntax, Exercises, Vocabularies and Rules for Construing
' ( Seeley, Jackson, and Halliday, revised edition: 1882)
*
Shakespearian Grammar: An Attempt to Illustrate Some of the Differences Between Elizabethan and Modern English, for the Use of Schools
' (Macmillan, 1870)
* '' Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions'' ( Seeley & Co., 1884)
*
Francis Bacon: An Account of His Life and Works
' (Macmillan, 1885)
*
Philochristus: Memoirs of a Disciple of the Lord
' (Macmillan, 1878)
* '' Onesimus: Memoirs of a Disciple of St. Paul'' (Macmillan, 1882)
* '' The Kernel and the Husk'' (Macmillan, 1886)
*
Philomythus: An Antidote Against Credulity
' (Macmillan, 1891)
*
The Anglican Career of John Henry Newman, Cardinal Newman
' (Macmillan, 1892)
*
St Thomas of Canterbury: His Death and Miracles
' (Adam and Charles Black, 1898)
*
Johannine Vocabulary: A Comparison of the Words of the Fourth Gospel with Those of the Three
' (Adam and Charles Black, 1905)
*
Johannine Grammar
' (Adam and Charles Black, 1906)
*
Silanus the Christian
' (Adam and Charles Black, 1906)
* ''The FourFold Gospel: or, A Harmony of The Four Gospels'' in five volumes, 1913-1917
*
Volume I: Introduction
1913
See also
*List of Old Citizens
Old boys of the City of London School are called Old Citizens. The school's old boy association is called the ''John Carpenter Club'' after John Carpenter, town clerk of London, whose bequest led to the founding of the school. This list is not ...
Explanatory notes
References
* Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
Further reading
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External links
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Free audiobook narration of Flatland
Online text of Flatland
Full text of A Shakespearian Grammar on the Tufts University Perseus Digital Library
Thomas Banchoff collection of materials relating to Edwin Abbott Abbott
at the Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
John Hay Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Edwin Abbott
1838 births
1926 deaths
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
Schoolteachers from London
English science fiction writers
19th-century English theologians
20th-century English theologians
English Anglican theologians
People educated at the City of London School
Linguists of English
British Christian theologians
19th-century British novelists
British male novelists
19th-century male writers
Fellows of the British Academy
20th-century English male writers
19th-century Anglican theologians
20th-century Anglican theologians
Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge
19th-century English Anglican priests
20th-century English Anglican priests
People from Marylebone
Mathematics popularizers