Unrequited love stories are some of the most beloved romances in literature, film and television. Why do readers and audiences find unique pleasure in the agonizing tragedy of feelings not returned? And what does “unrequited” really mean anyway? This class focuses on fictional depictions of unrequited love from the perspective of British women fiction writers from the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century, and contemporary British “rom-com” television shows written by women. From Mary Wollstonecraft to Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Eliza Haywood to Michaela Coel, we will consider how women tell stories of attractions plagued by lack of reciprocity, misunderstandings, persistent longing, problematic issues of consent, and social obstacles. Alongside these works of fiction, we will read psychoanalytic feminist theories of desire from scholars such as Lauren Berlant, Melanie Klein and Luce Irigaray in order work towards new definitions of unrequitedness. Our class will examine the meaning of “unrequited” across varying registers, as a source of dark humor, as an occasion for denial or repression, and as a catalyst for forms of violence. Throughout the course, we will ask ourselves as readers and viewers to interrogate our own investment (or lack thereof) in the resolution of unrequitedness. Do we really want fictional characters to realize they belong together? Why do we enjoy texts that linger on tension and longing?