Infinite Jest: Wherein We Begin By Beginning

Infinite Jest: Wherein We Begin By Beginning

Author: Thomas Pynchon books discussed here! February 1, 2026 Duration: 1:33:02

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 for media). David Foster Wallace's magnum opus, Infinite Jest was released on 01 Feb 1996 and has remained a staple in the "books you should read" discussion ever since.

On this first of many episodes covering the book, Kate and Cody discuss the author, his life, his work, and what this book meant to the literature world both then and thirty years later.

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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If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters:

Link to the Infinite Jest trailer (2024): https://youtu.be/gW39U8nxoQU?si=UcO_avdROTly6NAa

Film/TV: The Wire (2002-2008)

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
Best Reads of 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:31
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 admitt…
Coming in 2026... [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:54
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 mont…
Against the Day: Chapters 24-25 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:00:40
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…
Against the Day: Chapters 22-23 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:42:31
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…
Shadow Ticket (for real this time) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:08:37
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 wi…
Shadow Ticket: Spoiler Free review [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:27
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…
Against the Day: Chapter 21 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:40:00
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,…
Bonus Episode - One Battle After Another [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:49:21
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…
Against the Day: Chapter 20 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:08:29
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…
Against the Day: Chapter 19 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:29:06
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 s…