Edgar Allen Poe's "Ligeia" (1838) and "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843) both deal with insanity and serve as interesting contrasts to Aiken's "Silent Snow, Secret Snow."

Ray Bradbury's story, "The Earth Men" (1948), later published in The Martian Chronicles (1952), is a story about madness. It is a fascinating inversion of the usual insanity narrative and makes a useful contrast with Aiken's tale.

Chapter Two of Freud's Civilization and its Discontents (1930) explores the roots of alienation and offers background information for a discussion of Paul Hasleman's detachment from the reality.

Arthur Rimbaud's "A Season in Hell" (1870) is a long poem that explores the alienation of a young poet.

"Senlin: A Biography" is a story by Conrad Aiken. It is often discussed in connection with "Silent Snow, Secret Snow."