Nick Ripatrazone observes, “In a 1978 debate with William Gass at the University of Cincinnati, John Gardner said the fiction of Anthony Trollope is rarely taught ‘because it’s all clear.’ In contrast, ‘every line of Thomas Pynchon you can explain because nothing is clear.’ The result: ‘the academy ends up accidentally selecting books the student may need help with. They may be a couple of the greatest books in all history and 20 of the worst, but there’s something to say about them.’ Gardner warned that ‘The sophisticated reader may not remember how to read: he may not understand why it’s nice that Jack in the Beanstalk steals those things from the giant.'”
Gardner also called Pynchon “a brilliant man, but his theory of what fiction ought to do is diametrically opposed to mine, and while I think he’s wonderful and ought to be read — besides which it’s a pleasure — I don’t want anybody confusing him with the great artists of our time. He’s a great stunt-man.”
Ripatrazone goes on to talk about the difficulties and importance of teaching Pynchon : “I end with Pynchon because his fiction is difficult, dated, and frustrating: exactly what my students need to read before they go to college.”