ABSTRACT
The journey begins with a consideration of the nature of disjunctive relationships. This is followed by a backward glance to see what textual traces have been left behind in the historical, literary, and dramatic accounts of stalking and unwanted pursuit. Historically, many of the theories of why people form relationships, mateships, and couplings with others have focused on the motivation of desire. Implicit in most such theories is the underlying assumption of mutuality. Generally speaking, relationships are envisioned as interpersonal states pursued to the extent that the participants in the relationship possess and establish similar understandings and seek similar interests, commitments, and futures. Stalking, broadly defined, "is a situation in which one individual imposes on another unwanted and fear-inducing intrusions in the form of communications or approaches." The media unsurprisingly tend to be drawn to the more deviant types of crime stories, of which stalking among serial killers and celebrities make good candidates.
