The arts, as interpretations of reality or even as the creation of new ones, constantly inform a society's perceptions of what is real or plausible and what the individual's experience. This occurs through a series of perceptions that begin with the artist's perception of reality. In literature, the author translates this perception into a text that can be as whimsical as Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, as outwardly observant and insightful as Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, or as direct as Nathaniel Hawthrone's The Scarlet Letter. It is therefore readers' interpretations of a text that provide individuals and society with new understandings of reality. It is this base of understanding that is continually expanded so that reality is further defined and redefined and there is a greater understanding of the human condition. Since the author - and his or her experience of reality - is at the root of this process, it is important that his or her background is taken into account, especially since an author's perception of reality will likely influence his or her representation of it. In relation to James Joyce's "The Dead" and Juan Rulfo's Pedro Paramo, understanding the culture, society, and historical period that represented each author's reality allows for a deeper understanding of each text. James Joyce is an acclaimed Irish author who is known for his short stories and novels about Dublin and the Irish people. James Joyce traveled extensively and lived outside Ireland for the second half of his life. He lived between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the mid-20th century. Literary scholar Lorraine Weir reports that Joyce opposed the Roman Catholic Church under which he grew up and did not agree with ... middle of paper ...... Structural Unity: The Fall from Grace in Pedro Paramo by Rulfo. Thesis. 1969. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, 1970. Print. “Gabriel (Angel) – Biblical People.” On biblical prophecy. February 13, 2001. Web. May 2, 2011. ."James (Agustine Aloysius) Joyce." Contemporary authors. Gale, 2005. Web. 28 April 2011. .Joyce, James. "The dead." Dubliners. New York: Random House, 2005. “Juan Rulfo.” Contemporary authors. Gale, 2003. Web. 28 April 2011. ic.galegroup.com>. Rulfo, Juan. Pedro Paramo. Trans. Margaret Sayers Peden. New York: Grove Press, 1994. Volek, Emil. "Giovanni Rulfo." Encyclopedia of world authors. 4th ed. Salem. 1-2. Literary reference center. Network. November 7, 2010.Weir, Lorena. ""Joyce, James"" World Book Student Online. World Book.Web. November 7. 2010.