Abstract：Abstract: The post-war generation in western countries was the most unorthodox, giving rise to a “generation gap” unprecedented in human history. A. S. Byatt's tetralogy presents the fight for the "cultural leadership" behind the "generation gap". Byatt's tetralogy reveals that the secularization of Christianity, the collision between the hidebound bourgeois ideology and consumerism, and the "New Left" thought are all closely related to the fight for the "cultural leadership". In addition to affirming the democratic thinking and way of life brought about by the fight for the "cultural leadership", Byatt's tetralogy also points out its disadvantageous influence, expressing the sympathy for the younger generation and calling for a reasonable way to relieve the crisis of the contemporary capitalist culture.
Key words: A. S. Byatt tetralogy; the 1960s; "generation gap"; "cultural leadership"
