x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

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

160:18

Vineland: Chapter 14

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2024/02/02

If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media we talked about:Films: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968; dir. Stanley Kubrick), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992; dir. David Lynch)Music: The Smile - Wall of EyesBooks: Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia ArmfieldEmail: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3DAs always, thanks so much for listening!

en

194:27

Vineland: Chapter 13

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2024/01/26

If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media we talked about:YouTube: Maggie Mae Fish - The Surprising History of Hollywood Strikes: Blacklists, Labor, and the Mob - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07bwL0fiM1AFilms: Judas and the Black Messiah (2021; dir. Shaka King), Blue Velvet (1986; dir. David Lynch)Music: Frank Zappa (listen to all of it, but start with Apostrophe or Overnite Sensation)Books: A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune. An Oral History (Max Evry), If on

en

172:49

Vineland: Chapter 12

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2024/01/19

Frank Zappa at the PMRC Senate hearings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgAF8Vu8G0wMaggie Mae Fish — Veterans After War | An Analysis of RAMBO + THE STRAIGHT STORY: https://youtu.be/HRnEjsdjtks?si=vx-3GvKgDqzNdx-0Movie/TV recommendations: The work of David Lynch — Eraserhead (1977), Twin Peaks (1990-1991, 1992, 2017), Lost Highway (1997)Music recommendations: Jaco Pastorius “Portrait of Tracy” (1976) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPsiuGcUniQReading recommendations: David Foster Wallace “David

en

169:25

Vineland: Chapters 10-11

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2024/01/12

We're back from our brief break and ready to jump into the back half of Vineland. We get some more insight into Frenesi's past and her involvement with 24fps as well as her relationship with Brock. Speaking of, we get our first real scenes with Brock, showing just how awful he truly is.As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D

en

150:04

Vineland: Chapter 9 (Part 2)

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/12/29

Strap into the Puncutron, cue up your preferred accompaniment, and enjoy our discussion on the back half of Chapter 9—Thanatoids, towing conferences, and a whole lot of dense symbolism to get lost in! Make sure you stick around for some actually appetizing food discussion at Your Momma Eats and we’ll see you when we get back from our break!As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram:

en

181:59

Vineland: Chapter 9 (Part 1)

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/12/22

Chapter 9 is quite expansive, both in its content and page count, so we split it into two parts. In the first half, we cover the events ending at DL and Takeshi's "encounter". So join us a we... get to the bottom of the giant footprint (among other topics of discussion) and come back next week for the thrilling conclusion of Chapter 9, in which DL, Takeshi, Prairie, Zoyd, Frenesi, and Weed Atman fight giant mecha-kaiju in a battle to save the planet!Please pre-order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon

en

164:30

Vineland: Chapters 7-8

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast ·

2023/12/15

There's so much food talk in this book that we could've turned this show into a food podcast dedicated to awful concoctions. Despite that, we found quite a bit of other conversational morsels to chew on regarding these chapters.Buckle up for next week, 'cause Chapter 9 is a long one!Please pre-order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠mappingthezonepod@gmail.com⁠Twitter:

en

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!

en

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,

en

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

en

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

en

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

en

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

en

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

en

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

en

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:⁠

en

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

en

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

en

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:

en

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

en

105 results

Similar Podcasts

Start The Breakthrough Full Audiobook Now, Thriller Fans!

thebookvoice.com

Get Hooked On The Life-Enhancing Full Audiobook Experience!

thebookvoice.com

西四五条

主播郑捕头

Podcast Patapoe

0d0a

On Mic Podcast

Jordan Rich