Some believe Benton was modeled after Sarah Lawrence College, where Jarrell taught but in an interview with the New York Times, Jarrell stated that "Benton is supposed to be just a type ... I've taken things from real places, but mostly have made them up".Nichols, Lewis. "Talk With Randall Jarrell", "The New York Times", May 2, 1954, accessed April 1, 2011.
