Why does modern love seem to, suck?

Illouz’s answer is sociological rather than therapeutic. She delves into the heartbreak, anxiety, commitment phobia, romantic disappointment and the feeling of being “chosen” are not failures of individual psychology, but consequences of much larger changes in capitalism, gender relations and the social organisation of intimacy. Drawing on literature, interviews, popular culture and social theory, she traces the transformation of courtship into something increasingly structured by choice, competition and markets. 

There's a lot focussed on freedom and vulnerability. Modern subjects possess far greater romantic autonomy, yet that autonomy also produces larger fields of comparison, indefinite choice and new forms of uncertainty around commitment, recognition and self-worth. We see inside, how love changes shape. 

Polity Press, Cambridge, 2012. Hardcover. 2012 reprint. No dust jacket. Black cloth boards with visible rubbing, surface marks and light scuffing; minor wear to spine ends and corners. Internally clean and firmly bound. Good condition.