Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast
by 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.
Episodes
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Infinite Jest - “A Space For Very Wet Activities”
Next episode: Pages 809 - 902 (ending at “I was impossible to knock down.”) 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....
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Against the Day: Ch. 45-47
Far from too soon, we rendezvous with Stray, in following Frank's happenstance ramblings among the rebels of northern Mexico. Similarly, across the sea, we catch up with Reef, who runs into Ruperta, and each scene lays our hosts ready for such lovely conversation about the characters and lush...
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Against the Day: Ch. 43-44
After these last few episodes, it's starting to feel like these guys are the ones with their heads full of gas! At least this time they made it through more than the one chapter, but, crud, The Slow and the Stupefied is on later, might have to cut it off if they spend too much longer on this...
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Against the Day: Ch. 42
At last, somewhere rational, even on a map, Göttingen! What a lovely place to set the scene for romance for Kit, and to finally get to know the real star of the show, Yashmeen. Oh, o-oh. Never mind. Is it all just history and math, now? Wow. Great job, with the "podcast dedicated to books" there....
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Bonus Episode - Heather Parry
Visit Heather Parry's Substack (general observations on eggs): https://substack.com/@heatherparry 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...
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Infinite Jest: "The Powdered Milk Fiasco"
Next episode: Pages 698-808 (ending at “...his face unspeakable”) 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....
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Against the Day: Ch. 40-41
That—over there! Is it... the Q weapon? Wait, what's it do, anyway? What has the Hanseatic League got to do with a 20-sided die now? Where is Dally? Hold it, who is she kissing? Ugh, my head. Pairing recommendation: an NSAID Next episode: Ch. 42-43 (p. 589-615) If you like what we're doing and…
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Bonus Episode: Adaptations (and The Odyssey... a bit)
We like to talk, so we thought we'd record ourselves yapping about the Christopher Nolan adaptation of The Odyssey (and adaptations in general). 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…
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Against the Day: Ch. 38-39
While the lines have been set since the first pages of this novel, it seems some of our hosts feel it's only recently fully caught wind in its sails, and the lot of them seem pleased as punch. What that means for you, dear listener, is plenty of history, of course! Really, what would you do…
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Infinite Jest: "I always end up finding more than I thought I would"
Another month means another 100ish page section of Infinite Jest! This month features uncomfortable hugs, uncomfortable drugs, Randy Lenz being the absolute worst, Michael Pemulis being close to the absolute worst, and more backstory than you can shake a large wooden spoon ideal for eating…
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Against the Day: Ch. 36-37
For the first time, listen to the crew of your fair show abdicate their preferred fine-toothed approach! Is it fair? You be the judge! Are you offended? Tell us! Engage! Engage like your lives depend on it! But worry not, kind audience, for the "Stupendica" and its ports of call are so…
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Against the Day: Ch. 34-35
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/mappingthezone If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the…
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Against the Day: Ch. 32-33
After some much-needed psychic rehabilitation, the whole crew is back together, and like Lindsay and the other Chums reuniting, we're diving in deep straight off the bat. Things do get twisted, perhaps even time itself, with a tinker like Merle at Candlebrow up to his elbows in the stuff. Please...
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Infinite Jest: Il ne faut plus qu'on pursuive le bonheur
How is a book this long, still this good, this far in? Gately gets a job, Marathe and Steeply converse and wax philosophical, and a young JOI helps his dad move a mattress. Put your empty glass of peppered tomato juice down somewhere and join us in this latest episode. Next episode: Pages 503-601...
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Infinite Jest: "Like Last Time, Only Moreso"
Next episode: Pages 410 - 503 (ending at “This was how I first became interested in the possibilities of annulation.”) 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...
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Bonus Episode - Billy Woods "Hiding Places"
Finally wrapping up our hiatus episodes, Will is back, and he's stirring the pot again. Inside, listeners will find a lyrical brief on billy woods & Kenny Segal's Hiding Places, making this a meaningful step in the evolution of our show, as it lasts longer than the subject matter. The better…
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Bonus Episode - The Franchiser by Stanley Elkin
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/mappingthezone As always, thanks so much for listening! Email:...
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Bonus Episode - R.A. Lafferty
On this week's bonus episode, Luke discusses the short stories, novels, and life of R.A. Lafferty. Give it a listen? Yeah, you should. 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...
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Bonus Episode - Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution (w/ Sara Marcus)
In the first of our series of bonus episodes in-between parts 2 and 3 of Against the Day, we talk with Sara Marcus about her 2010 book about the Riot Grrrl movement. We discuss the bands, the music, the zines, and the revolution itself. If you're looking to hear Riot Grrrl music, I've compiled a...
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Infinite Jest: "I just need to put the book down and go for a walk"
It's a beautifully tragic series of scenes we get with this section of the book. While this is some of the best writing in the novel, thus far, it's also tremendously upsetting and hard to get through. There's still plenty of humor and weirdness to be found, so join us as we talk about the ups ad...
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Slow Learner: Low-lands
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/mappingthezone You can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get...
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Against the Day: Part 2 Wrap Up (w/ Brett Biebel)
It's been nearly a year and a half since we started covering Against the Day and we've finally come to the end of Part 2, Iceland Spar! With us for this wrap-up is friend of the show (and basically the fifth host) Brett Biebel who chats with us about what makes Against the Day such an incredible...
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Infinite Jest: "Mmmyellow?"
The story begins to take more shape, the characters are becoming more dynamic, and the world is making as much sense as it can in this section of the book. Join us as we talk about the importance of Marathe's conversation with Steeply, Americanisms, the haunting backstory of Himself, and so much...
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Against the Day: Ch. 30-31
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/mappingthezone You can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get...
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Against the Day: Ch. 29
Time: var. moments of social cavitation Location: var. locales of New Old Mexico, esp. northern Subject: Quiselgur, El Chavalito "Frank Traverse" Concerns: - rigid and constricted manifolds - succulent flora - turnabout Recommendations: - Continue observation - Maintain separation from subject…
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Infinite Jest: Eating Granola With A Large Wooden Spoon
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/mappingthezone If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the…
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Infinite Jest: Eating Granola With A Large Wooden Spoon (v 2.0)
Nothing new about this episode, despite the 2.0 in the name. We had some problems with the original being Apple Podcasts exclusive, so the workaround was in changing the title (slightly). If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds…
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Against the Day: Ch. 28
Before setting sail, we check in on the bouncing baby Jesse and the newlyweds who made him. Things aren't going too hot for the young family, the line between reciprocal sacrifice and foolheadedness seeming blurrier every day, and that's without getting into the vigilantism. But now they've…
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Infinite Jest: Wherein We Begin By Beginning
Thirty years ago, a monumental book was published which shook the literary world and completely revolutionized post-modern fiction. Not Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, or the first book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, and it wasn't Fight Club (1996 was a pretty stacked year...
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Against the Day: Chapter 27
Dally rolls into town just around the corner, readier than most to take the world by its horns, but our crew of worryworts can't help themselves from checking in. Helpful roommate Katie eases some concerns, but then again, would a girl like Dahlia end up a mock white slave without some bad...
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Against the Day: Chapter 26
Kit's going through it, so we get down and rough it with the poor boy. It's nice to catch up with him, gives the crew an opportunity to connect some dots, draw some prospective lines. Between the continuance of Tesla v. World, acute personal loss, and unveiling Vibratory horizons, there are…
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Best Reads of 2025
It's the end of the year, so we decided to talk about some books we read in 2025 that weren't Pynchon. Of course, we decided to do this after we finished recording a 4+ hour episode for Against the Day, so we were admittedly all a bit spacey. Anyway, hopefully you'll recognize some of these books...
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Coming in 2026...
Starting 01 February 2026, Cody and Kate will be (kinda) deep-diving into another book. What's the twist? It's not a Pynchon book (cue "shocking" sound bite). If you want to know what we're going to be covering in a monthly 10-part series within our series, give this brief explainer episode a...
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Against the Day: Chapters 24-25
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/mappingthezone If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the…
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Against the Day: Chapters 22-23
In hindsight, it may appear unfair to have just been gallivanting about in Europe, as we return this episode to circle the Colorado Traverses. Lake gets in too deep, while Frank scopes the surface of his enemies, and our hosts struggle to keep their guts as lust intercedes. Despite their best...
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Shadow Ticket (for real this time)
Quit your scratching and bleeding and put down the rosary, the cure of all your anxieties has arrived! At long last, the Mapping the Zone Review of Shadow Ticket, Spoilerful Edition, has been released, and it's packed with more hot takes and thrilling twists than any diehard fans of the storied...
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Shadow Ticket: Spoiler Free review
It's finally here and we got to read it! Shadow Ticket, the newest (and perhaps final) novel by Thomas Pynchon is out in the wild and we are here with a spoiler-free review for those who may not have had a chance to read it as of yet. We will have a longer, more in-depth review episode out on 31...
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Against the Day: Chapter 21
Wid'ya lookit that! It's been a hundred pages since our paths last crossed the Chums' of Chance, and here they are, in Venice. That ain't the only coincidence at hand, no, far too many'a them... Something's wrong. Still, hoping to keep with the patriotic aeronauts, and the history presented, our...
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Bonus Episode - One Battle After Another
Once in a lifetime, a moment comes around, and one has with the latest film from auteur director Paul Thomas Anderson! We take that moment to assess the film on its own merit, but not without respect to the weight of its primary credited influence, Vineland. Is Sean Penn the next Christian Bale?...
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Against the Day: Chapter 20
A spot of smoky rooms and heavy drapes suits us as finely as they do Lew, and somehow the more obscure the corner of history referred to by the couple-three iconoclasts he meets, the more our hosts find to discuss. There's plenty of room left in the shadows, as these dialogues reveal their…
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Against the Day: Chapter 19
With how things have gotten so real these past few eps, it's time to see what Lew's been up to in cheery old Inglund! These chaps, Nigel and Nuisance or whatbeit, who've already brung him across the world just have not said quite enough about this infinite tetrangle! Even the demonstrably stable...
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Against the Day: Chapter 18
This week we wander through Jeshimon and track Reef as he rescues his father's harried remains from the just yet supernatural decay they'd have suffered in the desecrate airs of the town. Though Webb may rest his children and Mayva shall not and like them we wrestle with grief and legacy in our...
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Against the Day: Chapters 16-17
Checking in on the Traverse household, things are looking ... somber. As happy as the hosts are to all be present and accountable, the mood is somewhat dampened by the final ties breaking between Lake and her father, and where that leads Webb. Thankfully, the romantic backdrop of Nochecita…
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Against the Day: Chapters 14-15
The Harvard-Yale game brings us by vector analysis to rearrive upon the scraggly isthmus of Long Island. The tales of Vibes are much rehearsed, wooing Kit between Dittany eyelashes and forms seen lonesome in the hallways. The fall of an earnest worker marks the end of Fleet's refrain, but lines…
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Against the Day: Chapters 12-13
As with the Chums from the center of the Earth, we return from temporary distraction, and yea, what hath time wrought? What did this planet itself cradle slumbering beneath its frozen extremities? What idols have we found ourselves prostrate before, as the thirsting tongues of flame awaken nerves...
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Against the Day: Chapter 11
We are thrilled to finally return to Against the Day and we are finally covering Part II - Icelandic Spar! We had planned on covering Chapters 11 and 12 in this episode, however we quickly realized that there was just too much in Chapter 11 to be able to condense it and Chapter 12 into one…
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Bonus Episode - Alex Pheby
If you've listened to this show for any amount of time, you've probably heard Cody mention the Cities of the Weft trilogy by Alex Pheby, a phenomenal dark fantasy series that explores a number of fascinating themes and concepts all set in a tremendously built world, with a brilliant cast of...
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Bonus Episode - David Foster Wallace (w/ Johan Harstad)
We're back (kind of) with a bonus episode covering David Foster Wallace—his life, his work, and why you should (or shouldn't) read his work. Joining us in this conversation is our friend and fellow DFW enthusiast, Johan Harstad. We'll be back in a couple of weeks to get back into Against the Day,...
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Slow Learner: Introduction & The Small Rain
We're going to be covering the short stories in Slow Learner after each section of Against the Day, as we are going through that. This episode we discuss The Small Rain, Pynchon's first published short story. What we liked, what we didn't like, and how Pynchon has grown as a writer are all topics...
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Bonus Episode - Talkin' It Up with Johan Harstad
After discussing Part One of Against the Day, we spent some time talking with our guest, Johan Harstad, about whatever came to mind—the music of Hüsker Dü, David Foster Wallace, the films of Ingmar Bergman, and so much else. We'll be back in two weeks to discuss The Small Rain, the first short...
About this show
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.
Hosted by
Thomas Pynchon books discussed here!