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Welcome to the British Culture Wiki

Restoration Culture

So far, this wiki has accompanied last semester's lecture on Renaissance cultre; now, with your help, it is about to grow so as to extend to the Restoration period.

So, what about Wikipedia? Why a British Culture wiki? Quite simply, because it is reliable. Because it will provide us with relevant information. Because everybody can participate in its development and everybody can use it to study. Because it is our opportunity to work as a scholarly community. And finally, buy it or try it, because it is fun.

Here's what you can do: Read the articles - for reference, exam preparation or during future study. Amend and expand an article. Suggest new articles by turning words into links. Write suggested articles by clicking on any red link. And as a masterpiece, write completely new articles.

What's hot these days?

Basic terms		Restoration	Commonwealth	Parliament	Puritanism
Rulers...		James I	Charles I	Oliver Cromwell	Charles II
...more monarchs...		James II	William III	Mary II	Anne I
...and other V.I.P.s		Samuel Pepys	Henry Purcell	George Etherege	John Wilmot

Navigating In the menu on the left, use the search box to find a specific article, or click on "Random page" to read a surprise article. Wiki articles are cross-linked; thus you can choose one article as an entry point and explore your topic by moving through the pages. The "What links here" feature in the toolbox on the left allows you to see a list of the articles that link to the page you're currently reading, helping you to put information in context. "Recent changes" will allow you to keep track of all modifications and new articles. How to participate... First of all, if you're new to writing in a wiki, just give it a try - no one is born a master. To test the editing process of an article, experiment with styles and let your creativity run wild, have a look at the Sandbox. To create a new entry in our wiki, you can either click on a red link in any text or enter the title of the article in the search box, then click on "create". See the Help Section for assistance.

...and some ideas to get us going No one's expected to write entire essays; there's no marking and no scrutiny. On the other hand, by investing a little effort in sharing parts of your work you can profit from everybody's additions, feedback and ideas. Some suggestions for articles Short biographies, e.g. Isaac Newton, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke Concepts and Events, e.g. Restoration Cultural Background, e.g. Comedy of Wit Please start your own articles as well! Taking notes on a computer? If you're taking notes on a notebook during the lecture or if you're entering your handwritten notes in a word processing software at home, why not copy some of your information into our wiki? Previous endeavours? If you've previously worked on any topic pertaining to this course (does "John Milton" ring a bell?), whether in papers, presentations or elsewhere, consider posting parts of your material at the appropriate places here. (Obvious though it is: please do not publish anybody else's work than your own!)