Stalking as Romance trope list and research
Added 2017-05-19 18:52:46 +0000 UTCHere's the latest in my series of trope lists that collect examples of movie where non-consensual male behavior towards women is framed as harmless or romantic.
Stalking as Romance is a popular Hollywood convention in which stalking behavior is framed as a romantic gesture. Typically the stalker is a man who has a crush on a woman (though occasionally the genders are reversed). He will often go to extraordinary lengths to follow her, spy on her, trick her or otherwise surreptitiously learn as much about her as possible in an effort to win her over. His stalking-like behaviors are not framed as criminal or creepy but are instead framed as evidence of how much he cares for her. Sometimes his stalking even saves her life. He's usually successful in wooing her but even if he isn't the film always presents him as a "decent guy." See full list of 80+ films here.
This trope sometimes overlaps with Abduction as Romance and/or what I call The Goodhearted Peeping Tom. Note that movies in which the stalker turns out to be a villain are not included.
My intention is for each of these lists to serve as research that will eventually become a full fledged video essay. Lists also provides a way for supporters to give input before I start writing a new script.
Please feel free to make suggestions below or on the list page itself. I'm using the free site Letterboxed to hosts these lists, as well as to track movies I've seen. If you'd like you can follow my collections over there.
Thanks again for all your amazing support!
-Jonathan
