Feelgood literature: Entrepreneurial Robinsonades for the 21st century woman

This article explores the intersection of entrepreneurship and feelgood literature, addressing Coșgel's argument about the impact of metaphors and narratives in shaping economic theories and the role of the entrepreneur. In entrepreneurial studies, there has been limited examination of how literary narratives influence entrepreneurial conceptualization. Analyzing feelgood literature can challenge male-coded entrepreneurial roles and offer alternative perspectives on women's entrepreneurship. Feelgood literature echoes themes from Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, and the study argues that feelgood literature serves as entrepreneurial Robinsonades for modern women, offering socio-economic commentary on their attitudes towards work. The genre both repeats and rewrites the Robinson narrative, thereby reshaping the male-coded entrepreneurial narrative. The article concludes that feelgood literature represents a new type of entrepreneurial imaginary, sharing features with what Dahl and Helin call an “economy of homecoming”, in which local community and caring supersede the individualistic and expansive/exploitative economy of the Robinson-type entrepreneur.