Abstract: Though often misunderstood as showing little concern for social reality, John Keatsdemonstrates a strong sense of social engagement. From the perspective of the rhetorical ethic, and Max Weber's theory of the Protestant ethic in particular, this article offers a new reading of Keats's narrative poem “The Eve of St. Agnes,” illuminating how Keats attemps to impose the Protestant order upon the world depicted. The article elaborates the Protestant ethic proposed by the poet from three aspects: the Protestant ethic of occupation, the Protestant ethic of love, and the Protestant ethic of consumption. For Keats, the purpose of proposing such an ethic is to destroy the irrational impulse for pleasure and to make the social life more orderly. The characters, events, and images in the poem shape the landscape of the Protestant ethic, displaying the poet's strategy of writing that influences the reader.

Key words: John Keats, The Eve of St. Agnes, Protestant ethic, rhetorical ethic