Edwin Abbott Abbott (20 December 1838 – 12 October 1926) was an English

schoolmaster A schoolmaster, or simply master, is a male school teacher. The usage first occurred in England in the Late Middle Ages and early modern period. At that time, most schools were one-room or two-room schools and had only one or two such teacher ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

, 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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, 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 novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

'' Flatland'' (1884).

Early life and education

Edwin Abbott Abbott was the eldest son of Edwin Abbott (1808–1882), headmaster of the Philological School,

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

, 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 The City of London School, also known as CLS and City, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for Single-sex education, boys in the City of London, England, on the banks of the River Thames next to the Millennium Bridge, ...

and at St John's College,

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, where he took the highest honours of his class in

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

, and became a

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of his college. In particular, he was 1st Smith's prizeman in 1861.

Career

In 1862 he took orders. After holding masterships at

King Edward's School, Birmingham King Edward's School (KES) is an independent school (UK), independent day school for boys in the British Public school (UK), public school tradition, located in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Founded by Edward VI of England, King Edward VI in 1552, it ...

, he succeeded G. F. Mortimer as headmaster of the

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) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...

. Abbott was Hulsean lecturer in 1876. He retired in 1889, and devoted himself to literary and theological pursuits. Abbott's open-minded 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 tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

. In 1885, he published a life of

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. Bacon argued for the importance of nat ...

. His theological writings include three anonymously published religious romances – '' Philochristus'' (1878), where he tried to raise interest in

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

s reading, ''

Onesimus Onesimus of Byzantium (, meaning "useful"; died , according to Sacred tradition, Catholic tradition), also called ''Onesimus'' and The Holy Apostle Onesimus in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was a Roman slavery, slave to Philemon (biblical figur ...

'' (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'' (1892), and his article "The Gospels" in the ninth edition of the ''

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'', 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 (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

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

and

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...

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) * ''A concordance to the works of Alexander Pope'' (Chapman & Hall, 1875) * '' 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) * ''Diatessarica'' (Black, 1900–1917. 10 volumes) *
''Indices to diatessarica''
(1907) *
Part I: ''Clue. A guide through Greek to Hebrew scripture''
(1900) *
Part II: ''The corrections of Mark. Adopted by Matthew and Luke''
(1901) *
Part III: ''From letter to spirit. An attempt to reach through varying voices the abidind word''
(1903) *
Part V: Johannine vocabulary. A comparison of the words of the fourth gospel with those of the three''
(1905) *
Part VI: ''Johannine grammar''
(1906) *
Part VII: ''Notes on New Testament criticism''
(1907) *
Part VIII: ''"The son of man" or contributions to the study of the thoughts of Jesus''
(1910) *
Part IX: ''Light on the gospel from an ancient poet''
(1912) *
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 *
''The fourfold gospel'', Section I: Introduction
(1905) *
''The fourfold gospel'', Section II: ''The beginning''
(1914) *
''The fourfold gospel'', Section 3: ''The proclamation of the new kingdom''
(1915) *
''The foufold gospel'', Section 4: ''The law of the new kingdom''
(1916) *
''The fourfold gospel'', Section 5: ''The founding of the new kingdom or life reached through death''
(1917)

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 ...

External links

* * * * ** * * * * * * *
Free audiobook narration of FlatlandOnline text of FlatlandFull text of A Shakespearian Grammar on the Tufts University Perseus Digital LibraryThomas Banchoff collection of materials relating to Edwin Abbott Abbott
at the

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

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 Christian theologians 20th-century English theologians English Anglican theologians Headmasters of the City of London School People educated at the City of London School Linguists of English 19th-century English novelists English male novelists 19th-century English 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 Clergy from London People from Marylebone Writers from the City of Westminster Mathematics popularizers