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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!

As always, thanks so much for listening!

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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!

As always, thanks so much for listening!

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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.

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We'll be back next week to talk Vineland again!

As always, thanks so much for listening!

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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.

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As always, thanks so much for listening!

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.social

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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.

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As always, thanks so much for listening!

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

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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.

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Articles mentioned in this episode:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00111619.1990.9933800

https://newramblerreview.com/book-reviews/fiction-literature/pynchon-s-pop-fiction

As always, thanks so much for listening!

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

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Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com

drum roll

These 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.

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As always, thanks so much for listening!

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

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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.

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As always, thanks so much for listening!

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.social

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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.

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As always, thanks so much for listening!

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

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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=1s

Join 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.

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As always, thanks so much for listening!

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mappingthezone.bsky.social

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Show art by Brad Wetzel: @bradspersecond (on IG and Reddit) bradspersecond.com