HYPERTEXT: plots and paths of a contemporary concept

Abstract

In this article we propose to synthesise the main theoretical conceptions of the hypertext, to reconstitute its history and to comprehend its essence, as an incomplete text to be completed by individual contributions, or through the dynamics of its paths which are linked by association, similar to the thought flow in the human mind. Finally we take a look at the Internet, through its most popular side, the Web, and discuss the role of the hypertext in its configuration.