Christina of Markyate and the St. Albans Psalter: The book as container

This dissertation examines the St. Albans Psalter and the woman for whom we think it was made, Christina of Markyate. This study tries to reconstruct a potential reading of the Psalter as seen through Christina's eyes and focuses particularly on the historiated initials for Psalms 36, 51, 67:20, and 118:33 in the St. Albans Psalter. This study also sees the Psalter as possessing a specific agenda that was designed to warn of the dangers of female sexuality and to redirect Christina's religious life to an appropriate path. The reconstructed reading, then, attempts to show that Christina provided resistance to the spiritual path designed for her.