Proposed by Chinese scholar Nie Zhenzhao in 2004, ethical literary criticism has rapidly developed into a theory of literary criticism that has been recognized and widely employed by Chinese and international academic communities. In order to further promote the dissemination and development of ethical literary criticism in East Asia, the author was invited to organize this issue, focusing on the key concepts of ethical literary criticism such as ethical identity, ethical choice, and ethical environment, and exploring how ethical literary criticism provides theoretical references for the study of literature in East Asia such as Japan and South Korea from the perspective of theoretical construction and critical practice. This article specifically highlights the “Computational Turn in Literary Criticism” proposed by Professor Nie Zhenzhao, an International Fellow of the British Academy and a Foreign Member of the Academia Europaea, and provides interpretations in this special issue. From the perspective of “negative capability,” it analyzes representative works of contemporary Japanese literature, including Ushio Fukuzawa’s Green and Red, Keiichiro Hirano’s A Man, and Sonoko Machida’s 52-hertz Whale, to explore the potential integration of Japanese literature with ethical literary criticism.

This study explores the thematic evolution in Japanese SF literature, focusing on Project Itoh’s Genocidal Organ and Harmony alongside Hanna Ren’s parody work A Pistol Handed to Miaha. Project Itoh’s works are characterized by their exploration of human-subjectivity, technological oppression, and the societal roles of the body and language, engaging with posthuman themes and new conditions of existence. In contrast, Hanna Ren’s text adopts a lighter tone, emphasizing sensory elements, humor, and romantic themes while maintaining structural ambivalence and reversals. By employing digital humanities methodologies, such as BERT-based topic modeling and text mining, this research bridges computational and traditional literary criticism. It identifies key thematic shifts from Project Itoh’s heavy and introspective focus on liberation and existential conditions to Hanna Ren’s playful engagement within societal constraints. This study situates Ren’s work within broader contexts of parody, homage, and Hiroki Azuma’s concept of “database consumption,” reflecting contemporary trends in SF literature. Ultimately, the paper contributes to understanding the dynamic interplay of influence, innovation, and thematic adaptation in post-Project Itoh SF, offering insights into the ethical and existential questions that underpin literary expression in the digital age.

This study examines the narrative strategies in Korean Se-tae so-seol and Japanese ukiyo-zōshi, focusing on the Hwe-jeol motif in Korean tales and the shinjū motif in Japanese stories. Set in the late Joseon period (17th–19th centuries), Se-tae so-seol portrays regional Gisaeng’s seduction and Seoul men’s fascination, exposing socio-cultural tensions between Seoul and the provinces while humorously fostering broader perspectives and harmony. The Hwe-jeol motif recalibrates entrenched viewpoints and promotes regional exchange and communication. Similarly, Japanese ukiyo-zōshi utilize the shinjū motif, where clients doubt the inner feelings of yūjo, test their sincerity, and determine their fate—whether through ruin, downfall, or redemption—after her sincerity is judged. However, in If You Die, Let’s Go with the Wooden Sword, the yūjo’s “falsity” is not rendered comical or objectified. Instead, the narrative frustrates readers’ “penetrative desire,” highlighting the yūjo’s struggle to survive within a competitive environment. Both traditions critique hierarchical societies by granting marginalized individuals—those without a voice—a platform in literary expression, thereby amplifying their voices and highlighting questions about “relationship-building” between people.

Ethical Literary Criticism holds that literature arises from human needs for ethical expression, and its ethical educational function is the fundamental function of literature. This viewpoint should not only apply to literature created in traditional ways, but also to generative AI literature based on large language models. One important reason for the generative AI novel The Land of Machine Memories to win a literary award is that it presents the basic elements related to meeting psychological (ethical) needs, which can generate ethical identification among readers and endow the work with educational value. The development of AI will bring new ethical issues, which can be reflected and presented through AI literature, and become one of the focuses of Ethical Literary Criticism.

With the proliferation of artificial intelligence technologies, intelligent artifacts increasingly emerge as noteworthy moral subjects within ethical communities. As a political theory and social practice, care ethics has expanded its focus from addressing solely human ethical concerns to encompassing issues related to animals, the environment, and public policy. However, research on intelligent artifacts remains relatively limited. This paper examines how intelligent artifacts and their digital remnants highlight the uncertainties of human-machine relations and the “otherness” of objects. Drawing on post-phenomenology and the material turn in the philosophy of technology, it proposes three design ethics strategies centered on otherness: the poetics of tolerance, the joy of perspective-taking, and quasi-human empathy. These strategies explore alternative ways of caring for intelligent artifacts through counterfactual surprises and object-centered interaction contexts. The ethics of otherness seeks to transcend anthropocentrism by incorporating intelligent artifacts as moral subjects within the scope of care ethics, thereby expanding the “moral constituency” of human ethical responsibilities. Against the backdrop of the non-human turn, this paper calls for a rethinking of novel ethical relationships between humans and objects and advocates for design practices informed by care ethics. Doing so provides a new perspective for interdisciplinary explorations between ethics and design in the complex context of intelligent technologies.

This article investigates the ethical dimensions embedded in contemporary Thai literature, a topic that has received limited attention from the ethics research community. Focusing on 24 works awarded the Southeast Asian Write Award (S.E.A. Write Award) in the 21st century, the study employs a framework of ethical literary criticism to analyze the ethical identities of characters within these works. The analysis identifies three key ethical facets: the human experience in society, the interplay between human and animal factors, and the implications of scientific choices. These dimensions illuminate the complex ethical dilemmas faced by individuals in modern Thailand. Furthermore, the article examines the dual identities of Thai and Chinese characters, enriching the discourse on cultural conflicts. The findings reveal that these awarded novels not only convey profound ethical teachings characteristic of Thai literature but also provide valuable insights for advancing research in ethical literary criticism.

The creation of retellings is based on the theory of “brain text.” The traditional story Mulian Saves His Mother has been passed down through different iterations and interpretations, embodying the transformation of brain text and cross-media creative flow. For instance, the film Dwelling by the West Lake retains the ethical core of filial piety and the ethical choices of “saving the mother” from the original story. The reconstruction of ethical representation, in conjunction with the theme of pyramid selling, has resulted in a brain text of secondary creativity. However, the film’s dual identity as both a literary adaptation and a critique of marketing hinders the effectiveness of its presentation of the adapted brain text. The adaptation of Mulian’s story in the film Dwelling by the West Lake demonstrates that the key ethical dimensions of creative retelling are the inheritance of the ethical core, the reconstruction of the ethical representation, and the maintenance of balance between aesthetics and ethical education. The infusion of these elements into the narrative bestows upon it a renewed ethical significance and cultural creative value.

Mahadevi Verma is one of the representative poets of Indian Chhayavadi literature. Her poetry revolves around three major themes: philosophy, emotion, and nature, with the theme of “Pain” being the most distinctive and controversial. From the perspective of ethical literary criticism, this paper examines the ethical environment in which Mahadevi lived, her multiple ethical identities, and their influence on her choice of the “Pain” theme and its poetic expression. It explores how her writings on “Pain” convey ethical teachings. The paper argues that her depiction of pain connects the individual, the collective, and the nation, mapping the inner mind onto external reality. Her traditional writing style enables readers to aspire to the noble ideal of happiness by empathizing with universal pain, and calls for spiritual perfection by eliminating pain through restraining desires and self-sacrifice, thus forming the lofty ethical value of the emotion of “Pain.”

In Midnight’s Children, Saleem is both the protagonist and the narrator. Through Saleem’s story and narrative, Rushdie expresses his deep thoughts on postcolonial Indian society, carrying a sense of ethical teaching. As the protagonist, Saleem leads a difficult life full of indifference and suffering, but never losing faith and hope in his mind; as the narrator, Saleem indulges his emotions and dissolves authority in linguistic carnival. Based on postmodern Western ethical theory, this paper uses the method of ethical literary criticism to deeply investigate Saleem’s life journey and narrative strategy in the complex socio-historical context of postcolonial India, restore Rushdie’s critique and reconstruction of Indian reality, and discover the ethical value of the novel. This paper finds that Midnight’s Children is an ethical narrative that reconstructs the moral relations of postcolonial Indian society. The novel criticizes the persecution and violence of postcolonial India against the disadvantaged others, such as Saleem, midnight’s children and the slum dwellers, and proclaims the true beauty and progressive power hidden in the others, thereby calling for an Indian society in which love, equality and peace are the moral norms. At the same time, the novel uses “pickled” writing, unreliable multi-perspective narratives and non-linear narratives to deconstruct the authority of Indian history, attempting to construct an Indian landscape that embraces diversity.

Brain text is a central concept in ethical literary criticism. Shehan Karunatilaka’s Booker Prize-winning novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, developed from two earlier drafts, The Devil’s Dance and Chats with the Dead, illustrates the author’s process of constructing brain text. Karunatilaka employs magical realism, blending the backdrop of Sri Lanka’s civil war with elements of Eastern mythology, enabling readers unfamiliar with Sri Lankan culture to grasp its core themes. This reflects the author’s ethical balance between cultural universality and historical authenticity. Furthermore, in the transition from brain text to written text, Karunatilaka makes complex ethical choices, depicting the brutality of war and the moral dilemmas faced by individuals caught in the tide of history. The struggle between Maali Almeida’s rational and irrational wills represents not only a personal psychological conflict but also a broader pursuit of social justice and historical truth. Lastly, by exploring the tension between personal identity and societal expectations, Karunatilaka probes into intricate ethical dilemmas. The novel intertwines individual struggles with wider socio-political conflicts, revealing the multidimensional nature of moral decision-making within specific cultural and historical contexts.

The dramatic structure of The Merchant of Venice accentuates the dichotomy and alternation between two key spaces: Venice and Belmont. These spaces embody contrasting ethical stances, forming distinct spheres of moral representation. The protagonists undergo spatial transformations and the reshaping of ethical identities, demonstrating a close and profound mutual mapping relationship with the ethical environment. This process reveals the dynamic evolution trajectory of social ethical identity at a deeper level, prompting characters to face ethical dilemmas and make their respective ethical choices. Through the juxtaposition of spatial representations, Shakespeare elucidates a clear ethical stance, underscoring the play’s joyful yet profound function as ethical instruction.

Medea’s tripartite ethical identities as a witch, priestess, and physician form an interconnected, interactive, and permeable whole, influencing her ethical selection in medical practice. By juxtaposing mythological narratives, biological processes, and medical knowledge, it reveals Medea’s rejuvenation ritual as a thought experiment akin to modern blood-letting therapy. The failure of the operation in the Medea myth contains ethical lessons that are still relevant in contemporary medicine, highlighting the ethical awareness and selection of both doctors and patients. While technological advancements in medicine are crucial, this analysis underscores the parallel importance of medical ethics. Mastery of advanced medical techniques hinges not only on their technical prowess but also on who wields them.

In ancient Greece, female monsters were considered manifestations beyond the bounds of civilized order, symbolizing the citizens’ fear of the latent threats and potential for the destruction they represented. Aeschylus’s Oresteia trilogy illustrates this fear embodied by the Erinyes and their subsequent transformation. Under the influence of the animal factor, the Erinyes advocate the ethic of vengeance through their hybrid animal forms and irrational frenzy, broadly representing the voice of all women. Until the Erinyes entered the public space of debate with Apollo in clear language, the irrational natural forces they embodied were transformed into forms familiar to citizens through the influence of dialogic ethics. Under Athena’s influence, these forces gradually shed the animal factor and redefined their ethical identity as cautious and composed female members grounded in domestic life and public rituals. Importantly, the Erinyes’ ethical transformation reflects the classical period’s male-dominated ethical norms that sought to define and control women, pointing to Aeschylus’s didactic efforts aimed at the entire citizenry.

A spiritual crisis constitutes the central theme in J. M. Coetzee’s works. The concept of “shame” in Coetzee’s writings represents a transformation of guilt stemming from his socio-historical context and literary traditions. “Shame” serves as both a motivation and foundation for individuals to engage in self-reflection when confronted with injustice within a distorted legal and moral framework, particularly in an era marked by the disenchantment of God. Coetzee endeavors to eliminate the religious dimension and conducts a profound ethical inquiry on a secular level. The whole moral decline, coupled with the silent body, engenders “shame” that renders Coetzee unable to envision moral reconciliation following suffering. Regarding spiritual crisis and ethical resolution, Coetzee defers the moral decision of the character. Drawing upon the historical context of Coetzee’s writing and personal identity, ethical ambiguity emerges as a form of literary justice.

In The Interesting Narrative, Equiano makes three pivotal ethical choices: forging solidarity with white sailors to collectively confront maritime dangers; serving as a British warrior in the Anglo-French naval battles; and securing his freedom through diligent labor rather than escape. These decisions, shaped by the political and cultural forces of the time, reflect the profound influence of colonial ethical discipline, which upheld white superiority and Black inferiority. This internalized colonial ethic fundamentally informed Equiano’s decision-making. While these choices appear as critical milestones on his journey to freedom, they inadvertently reinforce and legitimize the colonial ethical order.

From the perspective of literary ethics, literature as a kind of virtual reality has three layers of progressive community functions: First, it provides us with a virtual ethical testing ground, allowing us to understand the mechanism of community disasters through literature. Secondly, literature reconstructs the community through virtual reality, allowing people to experience the ethical relationship between individuals and the community. Third, literature coordinates the relationship between different communities through virtual reality, which provides an understanding of how to deal with community relations in the era of globalization.

In The Surgeon’s Daughter, Walter Scott reveals the existentialist ethical orientations of the British Jewish diaspora community, as well as the cultural inheritance and social adaptation mechanisms of intergenerational survival strategies. Guided by diverse ethical principles, such as economic self-reliance, Jewish cultural return, and self-value realization, three generations of British Jewish diaspora—Moncada, Zilia, and Richard—seek recognition within British mainstream society through overseas investment, interfaith marriage, and secular education, respectively. Scott’s depiction of the diaspora experiences and historical fate of the Jewish ethnic group in the context of the British Empire’s colonial expansion highlights ethical themes such as economic interests versus social justice, personal happiness versus family ethics, and animal factor versus human factor.

The narrative and dramatic conflict in George Orwell’s Burmese Days is structured around a power struggle in the Kyauktada region of Myanmar for the Burmese membership in the European club. Under the planning of the power subject U Po Kyin, the main characters in the novel are passively involved in this political turmoil, playing the roles of “competitor” or “victim” in the power mechanism. This article analyzes the rewriting strategy competition between U Po Kyin and Veraswami in their racial performances, the specific role of the ethical predicament of the victims they exploit in the operation of power, and the relationship between U Po Kyin’s rejection of rational will and his achievement of goals as a winner in the competition, through which this article delves into how subjects with different racial and gender identities found their living space in their unique social positions. This study’s analysis of the tactics in the work goes beyond traditional interpretations of racism and colonialism, placing greater emphasis on the ethical dilemmas of Burmese characters and their interplay with power, revealing the complexity of individuals in colonial society and Orwell’s anti-totalitarian ideology.

As a pioneer poet of the post-World War II environmental movement, Ginsberg is very concerned about the ethical relationship between man and the environment in postmodern cities. In his poetry, Ginsberg, through the urban ecological narrative of the brownfields in the United States, discloses the slow violence of toxic substances by presenting a series of trans-corporeal toxic landscapes such as “black sunflower” and “poison ivy.” While reflecting on modern American industrial civilization and its incurred ecological crisis, Ginsberg expresses the trans-corporeal space-time material ethics and the idea of environmental justice that everything as the same is all equal. Ginsberg thus calls on modern society to recognize the identity of non-human life as an “actor” in the process of industrial development, control the production and circulation of toxic substances, and ensure that people, animals, and plants, living and non-living beings, have equal environmental survival rights.

Renowned for her “travel writing,” Elizabeth Bishop’s third poetry collection Questions of Travel focused on her efforts of clarifying and freeing herself from ethical dilemmas and exploring ethical issues within the human community in the process of crossing geographical, political, racial, and cultural boundaries. Questions of Travel documented the ethical identity dislocation faced by Bishop during her stay in Brazil in the 1950s to 1960s, as well as the resulting ethical dilemmas. Regarded as a complete “outsider” in her native culture, Bishop realized multiple instances of ethical identity dislocation and became embroiled in postcolonialist ethical dilemmas. Ultimately, Bishop’s unique narrative perspective and poetic process in Questions of Travel, advocating for prioritizing commitment to a shared home over other ideological barriers, led to an ultimate ethical choice.