I saw something on television that rankles after more than a month and maybe even two. I saw a few minutes of a show where the host and a few guests—all literary critics—discussed recent novels. I do not remember what they were talking about, but one of them suddenly ventured a general comment: “Is there anything worse than writers indulging in their own dreams?” A chortle of agreement went around the table. I was appalled by the tacit assumption that writers are about readers and not the other way around.