In the wake of the Hundred Years' War, Northern Europe saw a reordering of financial, political, and social institutions and with it a change in architectural style. The church of Saint-Maclou in Rouen, which is the most celebrated example of Late Gothic building in France, reflects a society that sought social order in the past while redefining new roles for individuals.

Linda Neagley now looks at how this particular parish came to build the church, offering a series of interpretive essays that explore its sociopolitical, artisanal, and cultural contexts.

Disciplined Exuberance provides a wealth of previously unpublished documentary evidence concerning building in fifteenth-century Rouen and Paris and applies computer-based methodology to design analysis. It offers a new criterion for examining French Flamboyant architecture and a new appreciation for this important monument.