Reevaluating Norris's standing as a naturalist relative to other ideas within his work, Hochman sets aside the critical focus on literary naturalism to show Norris's artistry as a storyteller and his concern with human contact and the functions of aesthetic form. Reevaluating Norris's standing as a naturalist relative to other ideas within his work, Hochman sets aside the critical focus on literary naturalism to show Norris's artistry as a storyteller and his concern with human contact and the functions of aesthetic form.