Since 1990s, there has been a tendency of placing more emphasis on theories rather than texts in the literary critical world. Literary criticism has become a theoretical sermon of inanition, with the ethical and aesthetic value of literary works neglected. Ethical literary criticism is both a historical and realistic approach. With the methodology of ethical literary criticism, this paper traces back the historical origin of the relations between literature and society, proves that the proposition of ethical literary criticism has its doctrinal innovative significance, and reaches the conclusion that the ethical value is the premise of the aesthetic value in literature. On the other hand, through the realistic discussion on the development of ethical literary criticism,this article states that in the context of globalization, furthering the development of ethical literary criticism prompts nations of different cultures to seek common ground while reserving differences, and that ethical literary criticism does play a communicative role in functioning as a cross-culture bridge.
