As a fantasy, Crowley's novel fits into a tradition established by George MacDonald in Phantastes (1858) and Lilith. Critics have compared Little, Big as well to the Gormenghast trilogy of Melvyn Peake, the fantasies of Ray Bradbury, and the work of the magical realists, in particular Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Indeed, Crowley's novel seems to echo many other earlier fantasy works. In particular, it acknowledges its debt to Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream (c.1595-1596) as well as Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865).