In this book Wolfgang Kemp examines stained glass painting of early and high Gothic France and England from a variety of perspectives. Examining narrative structure and themes, authors and donors, Kemp compares these works to epic forms and themes in literature. Providing a close analysis of representative works, with a special focus on the stained glass of Sens, Bourges, and Chartres, he also demonstrates that the content of these paintings is as brilliant as their colours. Indeed, he argues that their long narratives make sense when the spectator uses the divisions and dispositions of the lancet, which establish the necessary narrative framework, as a guide. The first study of stained glass from a narratological standpoint, Kemp's ground-breaking work also relates these paintings to their immediate architectural contexts.