| Contributed by
Vijay Fafat
A slightly humorous short story written as a “how to?” piece. The author asks if a story can be written to reflect a geometrical theorem,
| (quoted from The Use of Geometry in the Modern Novel)
“translating this meager framework into a well piece of Literature, replete with those fine old cliches [and glowing prose] which we all know and love, and without which a book would be an empty thing.”
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in a manner where
| (quoted from The Use of Geometry in the Modern Novel)
“the fanatic reader can sink his dentures or the sharp fangs of his mind.”
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The author chooses the following theorem as a challenge.
| (quoted from The Use of Geometry in the Modern Novel)
“If one side of a triangle is divided externally into segments which are proportional to the other two sides, the straight line which joins the point of the section to the opposite vertex bisects the angle at the vertex.”
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He then proceeds to outline a purposely-nonsensical story, “'THE TRAGEDY OF X, Y AND Z’ by Corollary Queen”.
The entire story reminded me of the mathematician, David Hilbert’s famous quote:
"One must be able to say at all times--instead of points, straight lines, and planes--tables, chairs, and beer mugs".
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