Modern Romance: An Investigation
 | |
| Author |
Aziz Ansari Eric Klinenberg |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Penguin Press |
Publication date | June 16, 2015 |
| Media type | E-book, hardcover and audiobook |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 1-59420-627-9 |
Modern Romance: An investigation is a research book written by American Actor and stand-up comedian, Aziz Ansari and American Sociologist and New York University Professor, Eric Klinenberg. Modern Romance: An Investigation serves as Aziz Ansari's debut book published in 2015. The book provides research information from people in today's society of all ages. Predominantly the book discussed the change in romantic society that has occurred even in just the past decade or two. Ansari decision to compose this work only came about after having a bit of trouble in his own romantic life. Ansari and Klinenberg pull together randomized research groups and ask numerous questions to get a better understanding of what different individuals are currently going through or have gone through in their romantic life. One of the main points that is discussed in the book is the paradox of choice in relationships, the paradox is the idea that having more options is better when ultimately it seems having so many options actually makes it a lot harder to "settle" for anyone. People get this feeling that they can always find someone better than what they have in front of them.
Background
Ansari, who has discussed how romance and technology interact in his standup comedy,[1] wrote on his website that he wanted to explore the subject further. He writes, "Every one of us engages on a journey to find love and companionship. We meet people, date, get into and out of relationships, all with hope of finding someone with whom we share a deep connection and truly love. This journey seems fairly standard now, but it's wildly different from what people did even just decades ago.... Some of our problems are unique to our time. 'Why did this guy just text me an emoji of a pizza?' 'Should I go out with this girl even though she listed Combos as one of her favorite snack foods? Combos!!?'"[2]
The book combines comedy and social science. [3]
Research
Ansari and Klinenberg, a professor at New York University, interviewed hundreds of people in various cities around the world, including Wichita, Kansas, Buenos Aires, Paris, and Tokyo,[1] to investigate how the Internet and technology have affected modern love and relationships.[4]
The pair also set up a forum on reddit, "Modern Romantics," soliciting responses to their questions, including:[5]
- "Do you do online research before a first date? Did their web self line up with their real world self? Has what you found misled you or been an accurate predictor? Did it make you more or less excited?"
- "Has anyone started an affair or cheated on someone through social media? If social media didn't exist, would something like this have happened anyway?"
- "Have you ever broken up with someone or been broken up with via social media or text?"
Academics in the fields of anthropology, psychology, sociology and technology also contributed to their research, including Eli Finkel (Northwestern University), Helen Fisher (Rutgers University), Sheena Iyengar (Columbia Business School), Barry Schwartz (Swarthmore College), Sherry Turkle (MIT), and Robb Willer (Stanford University).[2]
Style/Genre
Modern Romance: An Investigation is written in a comical fashion. With Ansari's background as a stand-up comedian this is to be expected. Despite the comic relief within the research, Ansari is sure to cover important topics with the occasional comical bunny trail. Many research books will typically be a straight forward factual work, that's not necessarily the case with Ansari. The audience of the book is more likely the younger adult generation to middle aged adults, individuals who are or who have struggled to have a successful romantic life.
Release
The book was released on June 16, 2015. As part of the promotion, Ansari appeared at the second BookCon convention, which took place May 30-31 in New York City.[6] The book received The Goodreads Choice Award for Non-Fiction in 2015.[7]
References
- 1 2 Dockterman, Eliana (March 2, 2015). "Aziz Ansari on His New Book and How Texting Is Ruining Our Relationships". Time. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- 1 2 Ansari, Aziz. "Modern Romance". AzizAnsari.com. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ Ansari, Aziz. Modern Romance. Penguin Press. p. 280. ISBN 978-1-59420-627-6.
- ↑ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (10 March 2015). "Aziz Ansari teams up with sociologist for relationship book Modern Romance". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ Ansari, Aziz; Klinenberg, Eric. "Modern Romantics". Reddit. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ McClurg, Jocelyn (March 30, 2015). "Aziz Ansari to 'Romance' BookCon". USA Today. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ "The 2015 Goodreads Choice Awards". goodreads.com.
External links
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