Maybe I should clarify: literary references are meant as subtextual implications for the reader to pick up. They serve as hints on what the author isn't willing to explain textually for artistic reasons. However, the clues are meant to contextualize how we, the readers, are meant to interpret the text when there are multiple potential interpretations.

Furthermore, making subtext references to direct readers into a particular interpretation and using historical references to contextualize non-explicit world building is a very common writing technique. For example, if we see "cow-eyed" as a description, any student of classics would immediately think of "Hera", even if the text takes place in the modern world. The literary association changes the interpretation of the text based on the reader's own knowledge. Someone who didn't make the association between the epithet "cow-eyed" with Hera might think the description is saying the person is gentle, while a person who did make the association would re-interpret the personality in the context of how Hera has been portrayed in Greek literature (jealous, possessive, vengeful, etc.).