This article examines ethical literary criticism as a theoretical approach to the interpretation and analysis of literary texts from an ethical and moral perspective. It argues that literature should be understood not only as an art of language but also as an art of text that records human moral experiences within specific historical and cultural contexts. Drawing on ethical literary criticism, the study examines how literary works embody ethical structures and ethical lines that reflect humanity’s evolving moral consciousness. Particular attention is given to the distinction between written literature and oral literature, conceptualized as “brain text,” which exists in human memory prior to material inscription. The article further discusses how the material existence of literature relies on written context, while its ethical significance is shaped by cultural conditions and historical circumstances. By emphasizing the dynamic relationship between ethics, text, and context, this research demonstrates that the definition of literature is not fixed but continually reconstructed in response to social, moral, and cultural transformations.

ethical literary criticism, development, human civilization, literature, moral experiences.

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