Romantic Agency
Loving Well in Modern Life
1. Auflage Mai 2024
200 Seiten, Softcover
Sachbuch
Kurzbeschreibung
This is a book for people energized by the possibilities of modern intimacy, but who feel unsure about their own romantic lives. Alternative lifestyles such as nonmonogamy, while liberating in theory, can feel remote in practice, as we are fixed in place by insecurities and social pressures.
In Romantic Agency, philosopher Luke Brunning encourages readers to think more deeply about what it means for relationships to not only work, but flourish. Guided by the thought that our abilities to be intimate cannot be taken for granted, he argues that our romantic agency is fragile and best cultivated alongside that of others, and can be nurtured through relevant traits and practices. Realism protects us from seductive but unworkable romantic ideals, conversation tempers our individualism, playfulness helps us look beyond rivalry, integrity allows us to risk change, and compersion lets us overcome jealousy. The potential rewards are more meaningful than any traditionalist or utopian could imagine.
Compelling and timely, Romantic Agency is a groundbreaking exploration of love and relationships.
This is a book for people energized by the possibilities of modern intimacy, but who feel unsure about their own romantic lives. Alternative lifestyles such as nonmonogamy, while liberating in theory, can feel remote in practice, as we are fixed in place by insecurities and social pressures.
In Romantic Agency, philosopher Luke Brunning encourages readers to think more deeply about what it means for relationships to not only work, but flourish. Guided by the thought that our abilities to be intimate cannot be taken for granted, he argues that our romantic agency is fragile and best cultivated alongside that of others, and can be nurtured through relevant traits and practices. Realism protects us from seductive but unworkable romantic ideals, conversation tempers our individualism, playfulness helps us look beyond rivalry, integrity allows us to risk change, and compersion lets us overcome jealousy. The potential rewards are more meaningful than any traditionalist or utopian could imagine.
Compelling and timely, Romantic Agency is a groundbreaking exploration of love and relationships.
Introduction
1 Modern Romance
2 Opening Up
3 Romantic Agency
4 Shaping Intimacy
5 Realistic Conversation
6 Romantic Risks
7 Jealousy
8 Grasping the Good
Conclusion
Notes
References
Index
Meg-John Barker, author of Rewriting the Rules and Life Isn't Binary
"Beautifully written, clear, and direct, Brunning's Romantic Agency challenges ideological preconceptions and opens new intellectual territory. This exploration and ethical analysis of the many forms and facets of romantic relationships is both philosophically rich and deeply grounded in the concrete realities of our social and emotional lives."
Quill Rebecca Kukla, Georgetown University
