Abstract: The current teaching of college English literature in general lacks attention to the ethical values of literary phenomena and
moral judgments of good and evil. The ethical criticism method in literature emphasizes the ethical and moral standards, which, if used
in the ethical analysis of English literature works, can help students delve deeper into ethical phenomena in the works that meet the
ethical requirements of the new era and cultivate their healthy ethical values. Taking the use of literary ethical criticism method in the
teaching practice of The Portrait of a Lady as an example, we can show how to combine literary ethical criticism and the teaching of
college English literature, thereby delivering the rich ethical values contained in the text to the students.

Key words: teaching of college English literature, literary ethical criticism, The Portrait of a Lady