Yanagihara has stated that some of To Paradise’s plot was inspired by Henry James’s novel Washington Square (1880). Yanagihara became intrigued by the idea of how James’s novel would have been different had marriage equality been accepted when James was writing. This speculation may be connected to the belief, held by many scholars and biographers of James, that he was a gay man who hid his identity. Book 1 of Yanagihara’s novel (also entitled “Washington Square”) shares significant plot similarities with James’s novel and is also set in the same place within a similar time period.

In Washington Square, Catherine Sloper is a young woman who lives with her wealthy father, Dr. Austin Sloper. She becomes enamored with a handsome and charming man named Morris Townsend, but her father is insistent that Morris only wants to marry Catherine for her money. Dr. Sloper does not have a very high opinion of his daughter and therefore does not believe that Morris could genuinely love her. Catherine and Morris become engaged, but Morris eventually abandons her. Catherine ends up committing to living alone, but she also loses a portion of her inheritance when her father decides to punish her for her relationship with Morris.