The volume opens with an exploration of the trials and tribulations of strolling players in the colonial era, before shifting to a discussion of the ways plays were deployed for political ends during the Revolution, most notably by the patriot Mercy Otis Warren. The narrative extends to the post-Revolutionary period when plays were used as vehicles to promote republican virtue. Contributors also explore the vibrant drama to emerge during the nineteenth century, when blackface performers and stars such as Edwin Forrest, Charlotte Cushman, and Edwin Booth dominated the stage.
“Goodnight, Edwin!” Edwin Dupree is sent up to bed, and it’s the last place he wants to be. He’s sure that more important, more exciting things are going on downstairs. When he creeps down to see—wouldn’t you know—he has been left out! His house has been transformed into a veritable wonderland of igloos and penguins, waterfalls and rafting, candies and desserts galore! It’s not fair. His parents are having so much fun without him. How will he ever fall asleep?
Here comes Edwin Blink, rushing to catch the fast train to Oxmox. But there sits the Slow Train to Oxmox, just waiting to catch someone like Edwin! Through the mist and mud, into snarly thickets and flocks of geese, the Slow Train pokes its way. Edwin is furious at the delays, but soon his anger is replaced by fascination as he watches the passengers pitch in to help the train overcome obstacles. Before long, he's rolling up his sleeves to lend a hand, too - and enjoying the stop-and-go ride more than he ever thought possible.
This masterpiece of science (and mathematical) fiction is a delightfully unique and highly entertaining satire that has charmed readers for more than 100 years. The work of English clergyman, educator and Shakespearean scholar Edwin A.Abbott (1838-1926), it describes the journeys of A.Square, a mathematician and resident of the two-dimensional Flatland, where women - thin, straight lines - are the lowliest of shapes, and where men may have any number of sides, depending on their social status.
