About the author

Alice Arnott Oppen holds degrees from Smith College, the University of Chicago and the University of Sydney. She has taught literature at tertiary and secondary institutions in Australia and the U. S. She has edited and contributed to publications on Australian literature, heritage and town planning, the environment and women's educational and legal concerns. In 1993 she was active in the campaign to keep Australian companies Australian, and served on the Arnotts Board until 1997. She is currently Chairman of the NSW State Library Foundation, on the Board of the Christian Children's Fund and on the National Education Committee of the Institute of Company Directors.

While teaching, she saw the need for further exploration into men's historic versions of women and women's roles in Shakespeare's plays. Now, five years in the making, researched between her city and country lives, the result is strong rhetoric, giving a vigorous Australian perspective.