A complex book, Aegypt provides a wealth of topics for discussion. Those interested in the history and literature of the Renaissance will find much to occupy their attention; Crowley recreates a number of Renaissance historical figures with great skill and demonstrates his knowledge of the details of daily life at the close of the sixteenth century. Comparing Sir Philip Sidney's pastoral Arcadia to the pastoral life of upstate New York may provide a number of insights into Crowley's novel as well. Discussion groups may want to pursue Crowley's concepts of time and memory. Is his theory of shifting physical laws plausible? Could it be considered a metaphor for the way that our memory sometimes shifts the truth of events as time passes?

Pierce Moffet, Crowley's central character, is a complicated individual.

Group members may profit from discussing Pierce's relationships to women and the tangled state of...