Book excerpt: How does perception operate in James Joyce's fiction? This question is addressed from a unique perspective in "The Veil of Signs." Sheldon Brivic uses the theories of Jacque Lacan to create a radically new concept of the mechanics of mental life in the novels, including "Ulysses" and "Finnegans Wake." This is the first book to make use of Lacan's writings and seminars on Joyce.