AcknowledgementsUpon the final completion of my M.A. thesis entitled “Tracing the Spiritual Odyssey of Contemporary America—---A Study of In the Beauty of the Lilies in a Cultural Perspective”, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to those who have offered help to me.First and foremost, I am grateful to my supervisor Professor ***. During my three-year study as a graduate student, it is his conscientious scholarship and academic spirit that have inspired me to go forward. His insightful views gave me inspiration from the selection of the topic to the completion of the thesis. He not only lent valuable materials on Updike study to me, but also spared no efforts to read and revise my thesis.Second, my appreciation also goes to Professor *** and Associate Professor *** as they provided precious suggestions on the framework of the thesis. At the same time, I am thankful to all those professors and teachers at the *** who have taught me because their profound knowledge and enlightening lectures have enriched my study and advanced my cognitive competence.Last but not the least, I need to thank my parents and classmates who have given me support and encouragement during my process of writing the thesis.IAbstractJohn Updike is one of the most significant and productive American writers in the late twentieth century. Distinguished at depicting the family lives of middle class, he reveals the spiritual and moral conditions of modern Americans and the social conditions in America in his works. Published in 1996, the novel In the Beauty of the Lilies is his seventeenth novel, showing deep concern to the interactive impact of American religious faith and popular culture in the 20th century. Based o...
