MathFiction: Solid Geometry (Ian McEwan)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Solid Geometry (1976)

Ian McEwan
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
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This short story from McEwan's award winning first collection is about a man who becomes learns some topology from his grandfather's journals...but not your average topology. The Victorian journals include some rather racy discussion of sexuality instructions on how to form a surface out of cut and folded paper which can disappear, or cause other things to disappear themselves. However, his newfound obsession with math has a tragically negative impact on his relationship with his wife. [In fact, since the math seems to turn him from a relatively loving husband into someone who is extremely abusive to his wife, I am labeling this story with the "Evil Mathematician" tag.]

After a failed attempt to make a TV version of this story in the 1970's (the story was deemed too "sexy" for the BBC) it was made into a short film starring Ewan McGregor and Peter Capaldi in 2002. (Thanks to CofC student José Montés for letting me know that the film is now available for free at Vimeo.)

Contributed by Nelson Walker

I was very glad to find your website on Mathematical Fiction. I wanted to tell you about the short story "Solid Geometry" by Ian McEwan (written in the mid 1970s) - the short story is currently in the anthology "First Love, Last Rites". I just read this short story and I was surprised how closely it resembles the old 1940s short story "No-Sided Professor", which you have featured on your website. I have No-Sided Professor in one of my older sci-fi anthologies, and I have read the short story several times.

"Solid Geometry" is about a man discovering mathematical diagrams in a diary from the 1800s, and is able to fold sheets of paper which disappear; also people can be folded in a similar manner and disappear.

Contributed by Mikko

Very disturbing and intriguing short story. I recommend.

Contributed by Anonymous

A disturbing story that has stayed with me since I first read it thirty years ago.

More information about this work can be found at www.amazon.com.
(Note: This is just one work of mathematical fiction from the list. To see the entire list or to see more works of mathematical fiction, return to the Homepage.)

Works Similar to Solid Geometry

According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:

Killing Time by Frank Tallis
No-Sided Professor by Martin Gardner
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Schwarzschild Radius by Connie Willis
Cube by Vincenzo Natali (Director)
Pi by Darren Aronofsky (director)
The Hollow Man by Dan Simmons
The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft
Through the Gates of the Silver Key by H.P. Lovecraft / E. Hoffmann Price
The Dreams in the Witch-House by H.P. Lovecraft

Ratings for Solid Geometry:

Ratings

Have you seen/read this work of mathematical fiction? Then click here to enter your own votes on its mathematical content and literary quality or send me comments to post on this Webpage.

Mathematical Content:
2.2/5 (5 votes)

Literary Quality:
4.2/5 (5 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Science Fiction, Horror,
Motif	Evil mathematicians, Romance,
Topic	Geometry/Topology/Trigonometry,
Medium	Short Stories, Films,

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Exciting News: The 1,600th entry was recently added to this database of mathematical fiction! Also, for those of you interested in non-fictional math books let me (shamelessly) plug the recent release of the second edition of my soliton theory textbook .

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)