Hypertheory is the discussion of the theory of hypertext (especially hyperfiction). Hilmar Schmundt points out that "The existing two dozen hyperfictions [as of 1995] have been discussed in at least 300 critical texts"("Hyperfiction: The Romanticism of the Information Revolution." Southern Humanities Review, 29 (Fall 1995) 309-321).
Based on this, Schmundt names "the discourse about hyperfiction 'hypertheory,' implying that the theory of hyperfiction has become a genre in its own right."
Hypertheory can be taken to mean the theory of hyperfiction and of hypertext in general. Hypertheorists base their ideas of language and knowledge mostly on the work of several postmodern language theories.