In 2002, Franzen published a critique of the novels of William Gaddis, entitled "Mr. Difficult", in "The New Yorker". He begins by recounting how some readers felt "The Corrections" was spoiled by being too high-brow in parts, and summarizes his own views of reading difficult fiction. He proposes a "Status model", whereby the point of fiction is to be Art, and also a "Contract model", whereby the point of fiction is to be Entertainment, and finds that he subscribes to both models. He praises "The Recognitions", admits that he only got halfway through "J R", and explains why he does not like the rest of Gaddis's novels.