Nineteenth-Century Religion and Literature: An Introduction by Mark Knight and Emma Mason
Recent scholarship in nineteenth-century literary studies consistently recognizes the profound importance of religion, even as it marginalizes the topic. There are few, if any, challenging yet manageable introductions to religion and literature in the long-nineteenth century, a factor that serves to fuel scholars' neglect of theological issues. This book aims to show how religion, specifically Christianity, is integral to the literature and culture of this period. It provides close readings of popular texts and integrates these with accessible explanations of complex religious ideas. Written by two scholars who have published widely on religion and literature, the book offers a detailed grounding in the main religious movements of the period 1750-1914. The dominant traditions of High Anglicanism, Tractarianism, Evangelicalism and Roman Catholicism are contextualized by preceding chapters addressing dissenting culture (primarily Presbyterianism, Methodism, Unitarianism and Quakerism), and the question of secularization is considered in the light of the diversity and capacity for renewal within the Christian faith. Throughout the book the authors untangle theological and church debates in a manner that highlights the privileged relationship between religion and literature in the period. The book also gives readers a language to approach and articulate their own 'religious' readings of texts, texts that are often concerned with slippery subjects such as the divine, the non-material and the nature of religious experience. Refusing to shut down religious debate by offering only narrow or fixed definitions of Christian traditions, the book also questions the demarcation of sacred material from secular, as well as connecting the vitality of religion in the period to a broader literary culture. (Amazon.com)

Eaters of the Dead
Eaters of the Dead takes elements of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf and the Arab Ibn Fadlan's account of his journeys among the Rus, and works them into a thriller. The historical detail is handled reasonably well, the story is fast-paced and gripping, and the contrast between the Arab/Islamic and Viking cultures is effectively exploited. The result may not be a great novel, but it's an entertaining one and should appeal to those interested in the period. Neanderthal survival into the modern era is a bit of a stretch, but no more so than the science in Jurassic Park.

The movie based on Eaters of the Dead is called The 13th Warrior.

Encyclopedia of Barbarian Europe
The first comprehensive reference work devoted exclusively to this dark, but critical, period in the history of Western civilization.

Europe and the Wars of Religion (1500-1700)
(24 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture)
Taught by Govind Sreenivasan
Brandeis University
Ph.D., Harvard University
The period covered in this course (1500-1700) was a very turbulent time. There was a great deal of political instability combined with power struggles between political leaders within a country, various countries, and religious institutions. Throughout the time the various political leaders tried to consolidate their power and expand their territories and influence. At the same time the church was trying to consolidate its authority and power.
With everyone trying to consolidate and centralize their power there came times when their goals were in direct opposition to each other. When a political authority and a church authority considered themselves both to be the ultimate authority in a matter or over an area there was sure to be conflict. When a persecuted minority saw opportunity to become recognized and fit into society they had to take those opportunities.
This course focuses on five primary conflicts that came out of these clashes between different political and religious interests. The five conflicts are the French Wars of Religion, the Revolt of the Netherlands, the Thirty Years War, the English Civil War, and the Glorious Revolution. An example of how these conflicts were tied to politics and power struggles is a situation where the "official" religion of the country is whatever religion the king practiced and any other religion was persecuted or at most barely tolerated. This was a very common situation of the time period. Sometimes a king would die and a child would be placed on the throne. This situation presented the opportunity for the minority religion to influence the child and so find a place of acceptance in society. Of course, the established religion had an interest in maintaining its position.
To understand the internal strife and wars of the time period without looking at the religious factors is to understand a single element that does not present a complete picture. This was a time period when the church was often more powerful than the ruler in many matters and so to understand the period requires an understanding of the effect of religion and the religious wars on society. This is a highly recommended course and Professor Sreenivasan does an excellent job of bringing a complex political quagmire into clear focus so all sides of the situation become understandable.

Audiobook: Confucius: The Confucian Analects
Running Time: 3 Hrs. 16 Min. | MPEG-2 layer 3 | 32kbit 22050Hz Mono | 2 rar files, 25 & 20 MB | English | plus the book (pdf)

The Confucian Analects (literally translated as "discussion over Confucius' words") collects a record of the philosophy, discussions and day to day life of the great Chinese scholar Confucius (551-479 BCE). Coming into existence during a particularly war-torn period in Chinese history know as the Spring and Autumn period, this text came about at a time of newfound literacy and burgeoning awareness in ancient Chinese thought. Probably written posthumously over a period of many years by his disciples, Confucious' main values of propriety, righteousness, loyalty and filial piety are repeated throughout the book via various examples and conversations. This code of ethics has come to form the backdrop of Chinese conduct and is a core text in modern Chinese education.