Oh Do Shut Up Dear! Mary Beard on the Public Voice of Women: From torn-out tongues to internet trolls, Mary Beard explores how womens voices have been silenced in the public sphere throughout the history of Western culture. Using examples that range from Homers Odyssey to contemporary politics and from the writings of Henry James to threatening posts on Twitter, Beard argues that public speaking has all too often been regarded as mens business and that commonly held attitudes to the voice of authority need to be readdressed and reappraised.