Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast

We are off this week, so Kate has recorded a reading of Fear and Loathing in America by Hunter S. Thompson, taken from his "Hey Rube" column for ESPN Page 2.As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

We're off this week, so Kate has provided a reading of John Perry Barlow's 1996 article, A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace.As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:Films/TV: The Thin Man; In the Toilet (fan made song)Books/Authors: Thomas Pynchon’s Silicon Alley by Mike Godwin, The Thin Man by Dashiell HammettIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:Films/TV: Archive 81(Netflix)Music: Big L, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-ZBooks/Authors: Hunter S. ThompsonIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:Films/TV: Primer (2004; dir. Shane Carruth); Motherless Brooklyn (dir. Edward Norton, Jr.)Music: Tiny Desk Unit - Live At the 9:30 Club 1980; Bad Brains - Bad BrainsBooks: The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing To Our Brains by Nicholas Carr, Neuromancer by William Gibson, Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson; Motherless Brooklyn by Johnathan Lethem; The Power Broker by Robert Caro; Amerikastudien: “Bright Days for the Black Market”: Color-Coded Crises in Contemporary U.S. Fiction and the Works of Thomas PynchonIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media we talked about:Films/TV: Spaced (1999-2001)Music: Selected Ambient Works Volume II by Aphex Twin; Goblin (various film scores)Books: The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff; Falling Man by Don DeLiloIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media we talked about:Films/TV: Lost Highway (1997; dir. David Lynch)Music: Elvis Hitler - Green Haze: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4FFgxJsjqkgBooks: The Looming Tower by Lawrence WrightIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media we talked about:Films/TV: Aretha Franklin “Nessun Dorma” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k33sINjn9o0Books: Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas PikettyIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media we talked about:Films/TV: Office Space (1999; dir. Mike Judge)Books: The Declaration of Cyberspace by John Perry Barlow; Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig; Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace; The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright (watch the Hulu Miniseries Adaptation, as well)If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media we talked about:Books: Meet Me In the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman; 9/11 as Mass Ritual by S.K. Bainshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montauk_Monsterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Experimenthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Island_Animal_Disease_Center#ControversyIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media we talked about:Films/TV: We Live In Public (2009; dir. Ondi Timoner)Music: Satan Is Real by The Louvin BrothersBooks: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World by Haruki Murakami“Postmodern Syllabus” (mentioned in My Dinner With Will and Kate): https://tildes.net/~books/rf7/if_you_had_to_teach_a_class_on_literature_what_books_would_you_put_on_your_syllabusIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

Kate and Cody took advantage of the break to spend some time talking about one of their favorite artists, David Bowie. A wildly talented artist, Bowie's influence is wider reaching than many might have known. Whether you're a longtime fan of Bowie and his discography or you've never heard any of his music (you have, you just don't know it was him), we hope you enjoy our long overdue discussion on one of the most important musicians of all time.Links to things mentioned:Dissonance tour performance (Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4sP1CTuIjsDavid Bowie and Placebo - “Without You, I’m Nothing”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c14qMbmP9egVenture Bros: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1X3vl8QMYkDavid Bowie & Robert Smith (The Cure): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krhzq6C1EBwFlight of the Conchords - "Bowie": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8f_XCH3zmMIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

In the latest Mapping the Zone bonus episode, Luke explores the world of Octavia E. Butler, with a particular emphasis on her Patternist series.We'll be back on 12 April 2024 to begin our exploration of Bleeding Edge!If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

Did you enjoy learning about books written by women in the modern literary landscape when Kate went on a long monologue about them several months ago? Have you potentially been pining for another installment ever since you heard the final dulcet tones of her voice tell you about Julia Armfield's masterpiece? No? Well, either way, she's done it again. Except now it's about OTTESSA MOSHFEGH, everyone's favorite social-media-propagated female author (the writer of this description does not acknowledge Colleen Hoover as a viable candidate for this title). Kate (who happens to be the writer of this description) hopes that her newest monologue on women in publishing, this time made with the aid of intensive allergy medication (she thought she had a cold, turns out her body's ability to withstand pollen is just terrible), is just as entertaining as all the others.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

In the latest Mapping The Zone bonus episode off the press, we welcome listeners to an introduction to the nonfiction book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, published by Annie Dillard in 1975. As a non-plot-oriented work of narrative essay, feel free to kick off your work shoes and tune in without the looming spectre of spoilers.Tasting notes: profound exploration of nature, contemplation of the roots of morality, river mudRecommended pairings: social exhaustion, a long walk with a dog, unfiltered cigarettesIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

David Lynch gets about as much focus on this show as Pynchon himself (especially in the Vineland episodes), so it seemed right to do a bonus episode where Cody can finally get all of his Lynch obsession out and in the wild. While the first part of the episode is a sort of overview of Lynch’s filmography, the main focus is his most recent film, 2005’s INLAND EMPIRE. It’s a beautifully strange film by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, so let Cody ramble for half an hour about it and maybe he won’t have to keep bringing it up.If you want to watch David Lynch cook (and instruct on how to cook) quinoa, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSP-ewdJYJcIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

What you're about to listen to is a completely improvised, free flowing discussion between two hosts of Mapping the Zone. This conversation was captured as a result of a STOP RECORD button not being pressed, and two literary obsessives finding themselves locked in one of the best conversations they've ever had. Side effects may include: laughter, groaning, expansion of knowledge, or scoffing at the sheer duration of time two people talked about a single subject. That being said, the hosts of the regularly scheduled programming felt that he conversation had merit and was deemed to be of interest to its listeners. Who desperately hope they were right. If they happen to have been wrong, you only have a month before the return of their regularly produced internet radio talk show.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

We've come to the end of Vineland and spend this final episode of the season discussing our overall thoughts and feelings on the book. Joining us is Seth from W.A.S.T.E. Mailing List (links below) to share his experience on his most recent readthrough of Pynchon's overlooked, underappreciated 1990 novel.Seth's social media: https://linktr.ee/wastemailinglistIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneIf you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media we talked about:Films/TV: SLC Punk (1998; dir. James Merendino), Lost Highway (1997; dir. David Lynch), Clerks (1994; dir. Kevin Smith); We Live In Public (2009; dir. Ondi Timoner); Arrested Development (2003-2006)Music: Third stream jazzBooks: No other books came up this week, but do check out Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson and/or The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. Follow us on Twitter to see what we’re reading from time to timeAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneIf you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media we talked about:Films: The Maltese Falcon (1941; dir. John Huston), Double Indemnity (1944; dir. Billy Wilder), Brick (2005; dir. Rian Johnson)Music: Portishead - Dummy (1994)Books: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, Double Indemnity by James M. CainAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneIf 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 ArmfieldAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneIf 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 a winter's night a traveler (Italo Calvino), Cryptonomicon (Neal Stephenson), Solenoid (Mircea Cărtărescu, translated by Sean Cotter), Fem (Magda Cârneci, translated by Sean Cotter)As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneFrank 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 Lynch Keeps His Head”—found in A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again (1997)As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneStrap 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: ⁠[email protected]⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D

If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneChapter 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!As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D

If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneThere'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!As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneWe'll be back next week to talk Vineland again!As always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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 important questions in this week’s episode.Does anyone really read these show notes? Enjoy our conversation on Chapters 3-4 of Vineland. We’ll get around to the Pynchon/Peanuts connection at some point.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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 you that in the show notes? Listen and find out!This episode opens with a general discussion on the book in general and our history with it. Our discussion of Chapters 1-2 begins at 45:38.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneArticles mentioned in this episode:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00111619.1990.9933800https://newramblerreview.com/book-reviews/fiction-literature/pynchon-s-pop-fictionAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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 story. Spoilers here are kept vague and thematic.Come join us as we follow the book into the mires of atheist sin, and be sure to make it back next week for the beginning of our discussion of Vineland on 17 Nov!If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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 to read Wolfe and mention various books and podcasts both complimentary and auxiliary to the series.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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 to be me) speaks about one of her favorite novels of all time, and her interest in modern books written by women as a whole.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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 play the game, consider watching this video for an excellent examination of what makes the game so special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63PzQIbTrM8&list=WL&index=6&t=1sJoin us next week for another bonus episode discussion led by Kate.If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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!If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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.Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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. What we liked, what we disliked (if anything), our favorite characters, and so on. In addition to that, we will also announce the next book we’ll be covering, so be sure to stick around for that!Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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.Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/The Peter Schmidt article Brett mentioned can be found here: https://peterschmidt.domains.swarthmore.edu/engl52b/m-d1.htmlIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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.Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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.Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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.Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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 the show for more of our bizarre off-topic conversation and Cody yelling at his cat.Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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).Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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 to dive into the surreal dreamscape that make up the last three of these chapters.Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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.Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

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.Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

Gastronomy, astronomy, an automaton duck with a vengeance against chefs, discussions about sandwiches, the eucharist, democratic representation, beavers as a pest and food source, and so much more is crammed into these five chapters. We had a great time talking about them and hope you enjoy our conversation.Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

We had quite a lot to discuss in these chapters, so prepare for a longer than usual episode. The brutality and senselessness of the Paxton boys (and American colonialism in general), talking watches that shapeshift into vegetables, westward expansion and the impact of capitalistic real estate, and so much more.We invite you to share your thoughts with us about the book, these chapters, or anything else we discussed so we can bring it up in a future episode. We can be reached at any of the social media links below.Regarding the discussion about the unique horror of the American colonists violence toward indigenous peoples as mentioned in this episode, we failed to mention another instance of this type of history which should have been brought up. The Herero and Namaqua genocide was an awful event in history which, like the atrocities brought up in Mason & Dixon and our discussion, should not be forgotten or dismissed.Order Brett Biebel's Mason & Dixon Companion: https://ugapress.org/book/9780820365831/a-mason-and-dixon-companion/Here is the link mentioned by Brett. Please be advised, it is paywalled, but the episode can be found on any of the major podcast platforms: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/19/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-woody-holton.htmlIf you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better.https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezoneAs always, thanks so much for listening!Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/pynchonpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mappingthezonepodcast/Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com