Although there are no direct models for The Hotel New Hampshire, the novel contains references to and echoes of other works of literature. In addition to using techniques associated with the traditional English novel, Irving makes reference to the works of Virginia Woolf, quotes extensively from the poetry of Donald Justice (Lilly's favorite poet), and casts over the entire novel the aura of dream and illusion that characterizes The Great Gatsby. The Berrys, like Jay Gatz, keep creating not only hotels, but also their own lives, and the ending of Fitzgerald's novel is Lilly's favorite passage in literature, the model for excellence that she finally despairs of reaching. At the end of the novel, John Berry says, "I hope this is a proper ending for you, Mother — and for you, Egg. It is an ending conscious of the manner of your favorite ending, Lilly &mdash...