Romantic Agency: Loving Well in Modern Life

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.