When the love becomes a necessary risk. Simmel, Beck and a sociological analysis of a social emotion

The aim of this essay is to investigate and update Beck’s contribution to the sociology of emotions. A diachronic and comparative analysis shall be here provided. In reference to the guiding text on the feeling of love, The Normal Chaos of Love, written by Beck together with his wife, we intend to a) elucidate the text’s scientific and social background; b) compare this work to Georg Simmel’s sociological enquiry on love; c) bring up to date Beck’s stance in the light of other contemporary studies on the sociology of emotions.