Literary and Linguistic Computing, Vol. 19, No. 1 © ALLC 2004; all rights reserved 105 1 Introduction In this paper I would like to discuss in what manner composite manuscripts from the Middle Ages were meant to be read. As a researcher of Scandinavian philology my starting point is the Nordic material that in some way differs from continental material such as Latin and Anglo- Saxon manuscripts. The Nordic material from the Middle Ages is both younger and less extensive than the continental material. However, I believe my argument might be of interest also for non-Scandinavian philologists. I propose to show that the occurrence of ‘analogue’ linking within the texts and the common use of ‘paratextuals’ such as pointing hands, Correspondence: Jonas Carlquist, Department of Literature and Scandinavian Languages, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden. E-mail: jonas.carlquist@nord.umu.se Medieval Manuscripts, Hypertext and Reading. Visions of Digital Editions Jonas Carlquist University of Umeå, Sweden Abstract How was a medieval manuscript meant to be read? This is a question that has concerned me for a long time in my work with Old Swedish manuscripts from Vadstena Abbey. In many manuscripts we can find traces of the historical read- ing situation; for example, pointing hands, marginal notes, etc. Such signals had an important function for the medieval reader, but they are rarely put forward in modern printed editions. I maintain that many of these paratextual notes can be explained with the help of hypertext theory, and be emphasized in a digital edition. I discuss this possibility by giving some examples from Scandinavian composite manuscripts. I show how digital technology together with new philological theory can give new life to medieval manuscripts, as digital editions together with the use of linking give the modern reader a deeper understanding of manuscript culture. This is possible because new philology revalues the concrete textual witnesses of a manuscript and takes each single version of a text into discussion. A printed edition is a much too clumsy tool if the aim is to give the modern reader a clear view of the uses of manuscript during the Middle Ages, but with digital technology an edition can be more complete by applying different layers of information.