The philosophical concern of

is to illustrate Murdoch's Platonic view of the soul which, as she sees it, is “a mixture of knowledge and illusion immersed in a reality which transcends it, failing or succeeding to learn in innumerable ways the difference between true and false, good and evil” (

, 148). The plot revolves around the marital problems of a father and son, Hugh and Randall Peronett. Each man is faced with an identical problem at different points in time. They have to decide whether or not they should leave their dull wives for their more exciting and attractive mistresses. While the father, Hugh, had made the decision to stay with his wife, some twenty-five years before the events of the novel, the son, Randall, leaves his…

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Citation: Rowe, Anne. "An Unofficial Rose". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 December 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10026, accessed 26 November 2024.]