Authors: Assistant Professor Harshita Arora
Abstract: Modern startups increasingly rely on storytelling to captivate stakeholders and navigate volatile markets. This literature review investigates how narrative techniques from English Gothic fiction can enrich entrepreneurial narratives by heightening emotional resonance and strategic impact. Drawing on foundational Gothic scholarship (Botting 2014; Punter & Byron 2004; Sedgwick 1981) and contemporary business narrative research (Denning 2005; Gallo 2016; Shepherd & Patzelt 2019), it identifies four core Gothic elements—atmospheric world-building, complex characterization, calibrated suspense, and symbolic metaphor and maps their analogues in startup pitches and brand stories. Through analysis of case studies (Appan & Lee 2019; CB Insights 2021; Bate & Robert 2022) and policy frameworks (Startup India 2023; Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2023), the review demonstrates how ventures can construct charged market settings, cast founders as transformative protagonists, orchestrate suspenseful revelations, and deploy evocative symbolism to deepen investor and customer engagement. A five-step integrative framework is proposed—establishing a charged setting; positioning founders as heroes; calibrating suspense; deploying gothic-inspired symbolism; and resolving with transformative redemption offering a practical blueprint for startups seeking narrative differentiation. The review concludes by calling for empirical validation of this framework across industries and cultural contexts. In particular, future research should explore cross-cultural reception. Ultimately, this cross-disciplinary synthesis offers actionable insights for entrepreneurs seeking to harness the enduring power of Gothic-inspired narratives.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15812499
