Ethical literary criticism is a method of criticism that explores the didactic function of literature from the ethical viewpoint, and seeks to analyse and interpret literature from this perspective. The theory of ethical literary criticism describes natural selection as a theoretical prerequisite and philosophical foundation of ‘ethical selection.’ Teaching is seen as a method of ethical selection, whereas literature — as an instrument of enlightenment of humans, where a didactic effect is achieved through moral examples, models and guidance. The authors believe that the method of ethical literary criticism will benefit not only from a history of its own development, but also a detailed description of the arguments voiced by its opponents. The article examines one of the key themes in the theory of ethical literary criticism — the ethical choice, its theoretical premises and examples found both in world literature and in the Chinese literary tradition.