Stewart examines the role of literature in the novel, especially in relation to Sylvia's awareness of the world in which she lives. The similar themes of Rousseau, Saint-Pierre and Shakespeare (all of which Sylvia reads) are discussed and their effect on the meaning of His Natural Life is assessed.

Stewart examines the European influence on Maurice Guest and demonstrates how Richardson extended and developed the techniques of J. P Jacobsen and others. Stewart explores the Nietzschean view presented through the actions of Maurice and Schilsky, demonstrating how their humanity influences a convergence or divergence from the characteristics of Neitzsche's artist-genius.

Stewart argues that the organisation of small and large "imaginative units" in the trilogy accumulate to become an aesthetic whole. Stewart discusses the role of money and sex in the novel and suggests that Richardson's knowledge of music influenced the narrative structure of recurring motifs. While noting the unevenness of Richardson's prose and her superfluous characterization, Stewart concludes that the last chapters of the final volume reconcile these recurring motifs with great success, proving to be the best section of the trilogy.