FOR STUDYING MANUSCRIPTS, scholars have critiqued both text and 2D images. Of the latter, my earlier chapters provide sufficient critique in pointing out material features that normally go uncaptured when manuscripts are digitized. However, this critique becomes strengthened when a manuscript is viewed as more than its text and decoration, whether as a holistic expression or as a socially transmitted interaction. For example, Elaine Treharne points out that a physical encounter is necessary to gauge a manuscript's heft. Heft portrays crucial information about socially transmitted interactions, such as a sense of portability (for missionary travel) or grandeur (for large gatherings). Critiques of this nature recognize that manuscripts are meant to be engaged by human bodies, demanding first-hand experience for knowing.

Although scholars have identified shortcomings in 2D images, they have likewise identified shortcomings in textual remediation. In Virtually Anglo-Saxon, Martin Foys demonstrates how textual descriptions of the Bayeux Tapestry reconstruct it linearly, remaking it into a radically different form from its physical embodiment. Such a representation can encourage misinterpretation and flawed conclusions. For a Chi-Rho page or page of text organized around the interplay of decorated initials, the artistry guides the eye and shapes the experience of the content and its meaning. By altering the journey to meaning, meaning is lost and/ or reshaped.

With these critiques in mind, this chapter explores virtual reality (VR) as a response to and an alternative for studying manuscripts. It recognizes that VR is likewise imperfect and will struggle to duplicate physical attributes such as the smell of parchment. However, VR represents a profound shift for studying manuscripts. It provides a shared space for a digital encounter, eliminating the barrier of a screen. To understand the significance of this shared space, I turn to neuroscientists. Rather than accept the notion of five isolated senses inherited from Aristotle, neuroscientists have identified twentytwo to thirty-three. They have also demonstrated that perceptions such as sight are constructed using information from multiple senses. A digital technique that focuses on one isolated sense, therefore, provides a limited representation of human experience of a manuscript.