Served in tandem with Vallies perspective are the observations and reflections of the unnamed girl whose life revolves around Egon's world. A character whose purpose is defined early on in her encounters with Egon when Scott writes "'At least tell me your name,' he said- an objectionable demand, reminding me of my identity again when there should have been no facts, no names, no identities." Who is really talking to whom, here? Is Egon talking to this girl; is she talking to herself; or is Scott talking to us? We, the reader, are nameless to the author, yet we alone are responsible for shaping its impression upon us. Through her recollections at various stages of her life we see this girl grow up, age beyond Schiele's death, and see how dramatically her life is affected by her fleeting encounters with him. If a painting is an image with two sides- the artists and the viewers, then Vallie and this unnamed girl are the viewers and their impressions of him ultimately shape our own.
Scott writes, "The basis of aestethetic judgment, Egon believes, should be not appreciation but empathy- he wants his viewers to feel what he feels, he wants them to dissolve into his images, wants them to share his desires and pain. And he wants to help them recognize themselves." She goes very far in helping Schiele achieve this aim. Her descriptions of the agonizing, contorted, and jumbled bodies of her characters in moments of crisis and pain are so clearly influenced by Schiele's art that to include illustrations would not only be unnecessary but would in fact hinder what she is trying to do with her narrative. Her frank presentation of incidents painful or sexual (or oftentimes both) in a language not so much verbose as specific (and quietly metaphorical) is absolutely dazzling in its ability to conjure in the reader's mind a clear image of not only what happens but how Schiele will later translate it onto paper. It's this kind of frankness and honesty in depiction that Schiele was arrested for. It's this kind of narrative that compels us to empathize, to share his desires and pain, and to recognize ourselves.
It's this kind of organization and description which makes Arrogance worthwhile, and what likely garnered it a Pen/Faulkner Award nomination. It's tightly woven and clear, yet mysterious and perplexing. It's smart and it's subtle, and it will absolutely hold your attention despite its non-linear structure that jumps back and forth from time, to place, and to character. It allows surprises to happen naturally and to explain the complicated ins and outs of an artist and the even more complicated world surrounding him. It is a lesson in the nature of seduction and the fallibility of the ego. Scott has, pardon the pun, painted a world that is- just like Schiele's art- both harsh and beautiful.
