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PODCAST

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast

Thomas Pynchon books discussed here!

Each episode, we take a deep-dive into the book we are focusing on—we explore the references, characters, plot, and everything in between from a non-scholarly point of view. We are just four fans who love these books and can talk about them endlessly.

arts books

All Episodes

18:14

Bonus episode - The Deadly Sins/Sloth; Nearer, My...

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/12/08

The scheduling goblins kept us from being able to record our discussion on Chapters 7-8 of Vineland this week, so Kate was kind enough to record a reading of Pynchon's 1993 article, The Deadly Sins/Sloth; Nearer, My Couch, To Thee.We'll be back next week to talk Vineland again!

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143:23

Vineland: Chapters 5-6

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/12/01

We’re down one co-host again this week, but that won’t stop us from talking about the fascinating history of the ukulele. Not to give too much away up front, but we’ll just say that the importance of choosing the right tonewood for a uke makes all the difference. We also take a side-quest into debating the pros and cons of analog and digital synthesizers.We also spent a bit of time talking Chapters 5 & 6 of Vineland and all the weird, wacky beauty that is contained within those pages.As always,

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165:14

Vineland: Chapters 3-4

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/11/24

In this special Thanksgiving episode of Mapping the Zone, we take a look at the 1973 made-for-TV special, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. We examine the intertextual relationship between the fabled television special and Pynchon’s magnum opus, Gravity’s Rainbow—how does Charlie Brown’s journey mirror that of Slothrop? Is Lucy’s arc similar to that of Katje, or are there not enough giant octopi? Why is Linus at The White Visitation and why is Snoopy acting on behalf of Jamf? We’ll tackle these

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165:45

Vineland: Chapters 1-2

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/11/17

We’re back and crashing into Vineland like it was a plate-glass (or maybe safety glass) window! In this episode, we spend some time talking about the work as a whole and its place in Pynchon’s oeuvre—often maligned as “weak” (false) or “Pynchon-lite” (gross), the book has garnered something of a reputation among fans. Coming along almost two decades after Gravity’s Rainbow, Vineland certainly—albeit unfairly—had quite high expectations placed upon it. So, how do we feel about it? Why would I tell

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71:41

Bonus Episode - Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/11/14

drum rollThese days, at least in North American reading circles, everyone has an impression of the works of Cormac McCarthy. If yours isn't already excessively positive, today's bonus episode on his second book, Outer Dark, is guaranteed to provide at least one reason to give his works a shot, or your money back. Will gives us an overview of the work, talks about why the author's popular reputation for stark horror may not be entirely fair, and dances around saying anything concrete about this murky

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48:19

Bonus Episode - Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/11/07

This is the third of our non-Pynchon related bonus episodes. Today Luke discusses Gene Wolfe and The Solar Cycle. Kate and Luke have been discussing Wolfe and Pynchon possibly influencing one another during our Mason & Dixon episodes so he felt this topic would be pertinent and interesting to Pynchon readers.His discussion is a mixture of summary and analysis that may contain some light spoilers but does not contain any major spoilers for the 12-book series. The cohosts also discuss the best way

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43:25

Bonus Episode - Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia...

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/10/31

Have you ever wondered what's going on in the world of literature written by women? Do you want to hear a woman talk about it for potentially too long? Or perhaps not long enough? How about a debut novel written by a woman about a lesbian relationship and its untimely demise at the hands of a submarine mission gone wrong? Does that interest you? Does anyone read these show descriptions? I know I never have, and now I'm writing one.At any rate, this week, in our third bonus episode, Kate (who happens

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48:50

Bonus Episode - NieR: Automata

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/10/27

In the first of our non-Pynchon related bonus episodes, Cody leads a discussion about video games as an under-appreciated narrative form, specifically citing the 2017 Square Enix game, NieR: Automata, and its writer/director, Yoko Taro, as a prime example of how effective it can be when done right. While there are some light spoilers about some of the plot, there is nothing discussed which will take away from anyone’s first experience with the game.For anyone who doesn’t have the time or means to

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29:06

Is It O.K. To Be A Luddite?

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/10/20

In the first of our bonus episodes while we're on break, Kate provides a reading of Pynchon's 1984 New York Times essay. Np analysis, no conversation—this is simply a recitation of the text as it was published for anyone who wants to listen to it.We'll be back next week with another bonus episode, so stay tuned!As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠⁠Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/pynchonpod⁠Instagram:⁠

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108:54

Mason & Dixon: Wrap-Up

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/10/13

And so we’ve come to the end of the book and what a journey it has been. We look back on the five months we’ve spent covering Mason & Dixon and discuss what we liked, what we didn’t like, and read some 1-star Goodreads reviews.We’re taking a (well-earned) break and will be back on 12 Nov 2023 to start our next book (stick around to find out what it will be!). In the meantime, we’re going to be releasing some bonus content on a weekly basis until our return.Please pre-order Brett Biebel's Mason

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124:03

Mason & Dixon: Chapters 74-78

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/10/06

Mason & Dixon’s twilight years are explored in these final chapters. We see both men find new love, spend time with family and, perhaps most importantly, with each other, before final farewells are bid. A few old friends pop up along the way, but the hardest part comes with saying goodbye, as we must, to these wonderful characters. Join us in our discussion on Chapters 74-78, which comprise the entirety of Part III: Last Transit.Next week, we will discuss Mason & Dixon as a complete work

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99:24

Mason & Dixon: Part II - America with guest Brett Biebel

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/09/29

We are nearly finished reading and discussing Mason & Dixon and are joined by Brett Biebel, author of A Mason and Dixon Companion which is scheduled for release in 2024. Brett has been sharing his knowledge of the history behind Mason & Dixon as we have been going through the book and his insight has been invaluable. Join us as we talk about the goings-on of Part II: America.Please pre-order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion:

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132:51

Mason & Dixon: Chapters 71-73

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/09/22

Mason and Dixon have come to the end of the line and the end of Part II: America. We spent this episode talking about Cody’s theory of Mason & Dixon as stand-ins for Farina and Pynchon, Dixon taking a slave-driver to task, and the “what-if” Chapter 73. It’s been a wild ride so far, but we still have one last part of the book to discuss after this.Please pre-order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/As always, thanks so

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183:30

Mason & Dixon: Chapters 66-70

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/09/15

We had quite a bit to talk about this week. The themes, plot lines, and character arcs are getting wrapped up and loose ends are starting to be tied together. Some of Pynchon’s strongest prose, funniest scenes, and thematic elements are on full display in these five chapters, so we hope we can help shine some light on something you may have missed previously or, if this is your first read, something that may not have been apparent.Please pre-order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion:

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147:17

Mason & Dixon: Chapters 61-65

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/09/08

More were-creatures, please! Cody was unable to join the conversation this week, so Kate, Luke, and Will covered these chapters. The discussion covered the mystical mounds M&D examine, Eastern medicine and Spiritualism, the early settlement of America by non-indigenous people, Stig’s “true” identity, Hsi and Ho’s parallels to M&D, the Synoptic Problem, and so much more.Please pre-order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion:

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169:44

Mason & Dixon: Chapters 56-60

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/09/01

We avoided getting trapped in an 11 day time-vortex, but we did get stuck on some great discussions about these chapters. Despite there not being much in terms of M&D plot, we found a lot to talk about between the tabloid talk show escapades of Chapter 59, the smoke-filled party of Chapter 58, and the epic Lambton Worm story in Chapter 60. Friend of the show and author of a forthcoming Mason & Dixon companion Brett Biebel sent us a great article which we have linked below. Stick around after

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168:55

Mason & Dixon: Chapters 51-55 (Part 2)

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/08/25

The Curse of these chapters almost got us again, but we came through (despite getting us off-schedule for a week). Kate is back to discuss her thoughts on the chapters and we dive into some areas we didn't get to last time around. Stick around after the episode (if you'd like to) for a lengthy discussion on a number of topics (including our pitch for a new Willy Wonka movie).Please pre-order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion:

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143:06

Mason & Dixon: Chapters 51-55 (Part 1)

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/08/11

You read it right, this is part one of two episodes covering Chapters 51-55. If you’ve previously read these chapters, you’ll know why we’re doing two episodes covering them. If this is your first time through, you’ll understand. There is simply too much happening in these chapters to cover in just one episode so, after recording, we decided to cover more of it next week. For now, we’ll talk about Mason & Dixon’s prank war, Dixon being a “dog-person”, the ominous cave they encounter, and start

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168:48

Mason & Dixon: Chapters 46-50

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/08/04

We thought this would be a shorter episode, but once we got to discussing the goings-on in these chapters, we just kept going. We talked about the culture of reading, the buffoonery of Darby & Cope, Golems, and much more. We also had a pretty lengthy (spoiler-free) conversation about Oppenheimer and Barbie, which is featured after the discussion on the chapters, so stick around if you're interested.Please pre-order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion:

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138:04

Mason & Dixon: Chapters 41-45

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/07/21

We could have spent this whole episode discussing the duck again. Instead, we talked about the darker side of American history, M&D navigating uncomfortable social situations, well-balanced bathtubs, property and marriage divisions, and, of course, everyone’s favorite duck.Please pre-order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/As always, thank you so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Twitter:

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