Table of Contents

Introduction--Public and Private: The Paradigm's Power by Arlene W. Saxonhouse Female Officials in Ancient Egypt and Egyptian Historians by V.G. Callender On the Stage, Behind the Curtain: Images of Politically Active Women in the Late Roman Republic by Tom Hillard Julia's Jokes, Galla Placidia, and the Roman Use of Women as Political Icons by Amy Richlin Contemporary Portrayals of the Byzantine Empress Theodora (527-548 A.D.) by Pauline Allen Women and Power in the Scandinavian Sagas by Margaret Clunies Ross Imperial Women in the History of the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 by Ellen Soullière The Virago and Machiavelli by Lenore Coltheart Radical Hens and Vociferous Ladies: Representation and Class in the Mid-Nineteenth Century by Barbara Garlick Schemers, Dragons, and Witches: Criminal "Justice" and the Fair Sex by Jocelynne A. Scutt Conclusion--The Enduring Theme: Domineering Dowagers and Scheming Concubines by Suzanne Dixon Index

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How have women, at different times and in different places, been perceived when they cross the gender-coded boundaries between the public and private realms?

About the Author

BARBARA GARLICK lectures in the Department of English at the University of Queensland, Australia. She has published articles dealing with women's literature and art, comparative literature, and the traveling theatre. SUZANNE DIXON is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Queensland. She has published widely on Roman law, history of marriage and the family, and theoretical aspects of work and gender. PAULINE ALLEN is Principal Lecturer at the Australian Catholic University in Queensland. She has also published at length on early Christian history.