The Value Mirror and Ideological Insights of The Remains of the Day: Curriculum Practice Grounded in China’s Core Socialist Values

Abstract

Universities play an irreplaceable role in implementing ideological and political education within their curricula. As an integral component of humanities education, English and American literature courses are expected to fulfill the fundamental mission of moral cultivation and character building. However, in practical teaching, how to effectively integrate literary instruction 
with ideological and political objectives—so as to guide students in developing sound values—remains a pressing pedagogical issue. This study selects The Remains of the Day, a representative work by contemporary British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, as the analytical text, and interprets it through the three dimensions of the Core Socialist Values—patriotism, dedication, and integrity. Specifically: (1) patriotism should be grounded in rational judgment and independent thinking; (2) dedication requires a balance between emotional commitment and professional responsibility; and (3) integrity calls for loyalty to oneself, to others, and to history. By conveying sound values through textual analysis, this paper aims to provide a pedagogical model for integrating ideological and political education into English and American literature courses, thereby promoting the deep fusion of value education and disciplinary teaching and enhancing the moral guidance function of humanities education.