The Narratives of Gothic Stained Glass
The Narratives of Gothic Stained Glass
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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.
- Offers a broad contextualisation of the medium
- The first approach from an advanced narratological standpoint
- Provides a close analysis of epic forms and themes
Reviews & endorsements
'… a book … for all who want to get to grips with the important issues it addresses.' Church Times
Product details
May 1997Hardback
9780521432405
277 pages
261 × 187 × 25 mm
1.035kg
110 b/w illus.
Unavailable - out of print February 2005
Table of Contents
- Part I. The Structures of Narrative:
- 1. Introduction: stained glass as a medium
- 2. The Prodigal Son window in Chartres: narrative in sequences
- 3. The Prodigal Son window in Bourges: narrative in figures
- 4. Typology and narrative: the beginnings of systematic narration
- 5. Typological window cycles
- 6. Typological narrative
- Part II. The Narratives and the Narrators:
- 1. The distance between image and text
- 2. Stilus humilis
- 3. Vernacular narrative
- 4. Medieval intertextuality: exchange and isolation
- 5. The Jongleur
- 6. Corporeal narrative: Jongleur's theatre and stained glass
- 7. Division and subdivision: new sermon structures
- Part III. The Donors of Narrative:
- 1. The corporations as donors
- 2. Who donated the Prodigal Son window?
- 3. The mantle: text and textile
- 4. The donors as co-authors: self-portrayal and advertisement.
