Bonus Episode - Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle

Bonus Episode - Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle

Author: Thomas Pynchon books discussed here! November 7, 2023 Duration: 48:19

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.

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As always, thanks so much for listening!

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


Dense, sprawling, and endlessly rewarding, the novels of Thomas Pynchon invite the kind of conversation that can last for hours. That’s precisely what you’ll find on Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast. Instead of dry literary analysis, this series offers the lively, sometimes meandering, talk of four dedicated fans unpacking these complex texts together. They approach each book as an adventure, tracing its winding plots, deciphering its historical and pop culture references, and debating the fate of its many peculiar characters. The tone is accessible and enthusiastic, driven by a genuine love for the material rather than an academic agenda. You’re essentially listening in on a great, ongoing book club discussion where the jokes are as welcome as the insights. Whether you’re a seasoned Pynchon veteran looking to compare notes or a curious newcomer daunted by the sheer scale of the work, this podcast provides a companionable guide through the zones of paranoia, coincidence, and profound humanity that define the author’s world. It’s a space where the pleasure of the text is taken seriously, one deep-dive episode at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Mapping the Zone: A Thomas Pynchon discussion podcast
Podcast Episodes
Mason & Dixon: Chapters 51-55 (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:48:55
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 ti…
Mason & Dixon: Chapters 51-55 (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:23:06
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 un…
Mason & Dixon: Chapters 46-50 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:48:48
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…
Mason & Dixon: Chapters 41-45 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:18:04
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 marriag…
Mason & Dixon: Chapters 36-40 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:02:17
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 f…
Mason & Dixon: Chapters 31-35 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:43:31
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…
Mason & Dixon: Chapters 26-30 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:02:24
After landing in Philadelphia, Mason & Dixon are greeted with a bounty of new experiences and faces: street hawkers, founding fathers, secret societies, dreadfully lifelike wax figures. They discuss various topics with B…
Mason & Dixon: Part I - Latitudes and Departures (w/ Brett Biebel) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:04
We’ve finished the first section of Mason & Dixon and are joined by Brett Biebel, author of A Mason and Dixon Companion (published by University of Georgia Press). Brett has been sharing his knowledge of the history behi…
Mason & Dixon: Chapters 21-25 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:15:26
British "pizza", a hipster werewolf, attempted hurdy-gurdy music, and eccentric historical figures are all present alongside critiques of capitalism, explorations of the concept of ley-lines, and some much needed backsto…

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