The Ingenue: Difference between revisions

 

== Anime & Manga ==

* Tohru in ''[[Fruits Basket]]'' fits this completely.

* Himeko from ''[[Kannazuki no Miko]]'' matches this categorization incredibly well.

* Albert from ''[[Gankutsuou]]'' is a rare male example, though the show is partly about him growing out of it by the way of a particularly cruel [[Break the Cutie]] process.

** For example, her knowledge of sexual innuendo is woefully limited, allowing her to misunderstand comments such as how Keiichi must not get a lot of sleep when he's with her. And she also misses Keiichi's hints about moving their relationship forward sexually, such as when they were standing in front of the love motel during an Urd-created rainstorm. On the other hand, she is at least somewhat aware that Keiichi has sexual desires, but admits she is not ready to fulfill them.

** Another example, is when they were at the hot Springs and Keiichi was trying to cover up his nakedness, Belldandy was totally unaware of Keiichi's embarrassment at being nude in front of a group of girls, and thought that Marller had in fact hurt him. Both Marller and Urd considered her complete obliviousness to be scary [http://i38.mangareader.net/ah-my-goddess/60/ah-my-goddess-241333.jpg\]

** Euphemia is a much straighter example, the {{spoiler|[[Fan Nickname|Euphinator incident]]}} notwithstanding.

** [[Spoiled Sweet|Shirley]] may also count.

*** Well, yeah, both Euphemia and Shirley are much straighter examples (in the end) than Nunnally, who really just subverts the trope-- or else learns to grow out of it in time to get in on the main plot action.

** Tsukasa, not much so; she isn't really THAT naive. Yutaka, ooohhh yeah. She is so naive, [[Moe|cute]], sweet, and innocent to the point that brought her curiosity of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGEiRpO4bm4 asking what yaoi means] (probably quite oblivious to sexual themes)?

* Yuno of ''[[Hidamari Sketch]]''. She certainly has [[Character Development]], but still is childish and naive compared to her co-tenants.

* Nanako Yamamoto from ''[[Hanamaru Kindergarten]]'' qualifies.

** Her obliviousness to romantic overtures appears to be genetic. She and her sister are both completely aware the other has men interested in them, but fails to notice when someone makes romantic overtures to them.

* Kanzaki Nao in ''[[Liar Game]]''.

* In ''[[Ichigo Mashimaro]]'', Matsuri. She's way more easily fooled by Miu's antics than the others.

 

 

 

== Film - Animated ==

 

 

** Not "crazy", really. Elizabeth may be occasionally mildly frustrated by Jane, but she clearly cherishes Jane's good nature and would not sacrifice it for anything.

* Almost every Dickens novel has one, including Lucie Manette (''[[A Tale of Two Cities]]''), Agnes Wickfield (''[[David Copperfield]]''), Rose Maylie (''[[Oliver Twist]]''), Amy Dorrit (''[[Little Dorrit]]'') and Ada Clare (''[[Bleak House]]'').

* Millicent Hattersley (née Hargrave) of ''[[The Tenant of Wildfell Hall]]''.

* In ''New Grub Street'' Marian Yule is an ingenue who grows up by becoming less naïve, more independent and self-assured; but still dutiful and nice.

* Charlene from ''The Little Drummer Girl'' by [[John Le Carre]] plays these roles in her theatre troupe, but is anything but.

* Iliana from the ''[[Night World]]'' novel ''Witchlight'''s behavior is explained this way by another character. "She's too pure to deal with this kind of stuff." Considering that her life has been that of a normal teenagers' in our world, but she is in fact in a world with vampires, witches, werewolves, and shapeshifters, and that she is well-liked enough that people really try to be good people around her, this is understandable. {{spoiler|And she toughens up some later.}}

{{quote| '''Littlefinger:''' "[[Wrong Genre Savvy|Life is not a song]], sweetling. You may learn that one day, [[Break the Cutie|to your sorrow]]."}}

* Pippa from the ''[[Gemma Doyle]]'' trilogy. {{spoiler|At first.}}

* Ramandu's daughter, Liliandil from ''[[The Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]''.

* From ''[[The Night Angel Trilogy]]'', we have Doll Girl {{spoiler|in spite of being horribly scarred.}} When Azoth {{spoiler|as Kylar Stern}} meets her {{spoiler|as Elene Cromwyll}}, she is a {{spoiler|highly religious ingenue.}} This continues to be true {{spoiler|until [[Break the Cutie|the events at the end of book 2, involving her stabbing a Khalidorian]]}} but that hardly stops her.

* Leonie in Kate Mosse's ''[[Sepulchre]]'' is naive and idealistic, something the villain uses to his advantage. It is also used as a reason why other characters keep secrets from her. Unfortunately, this is just playing into the villain's hands.

* Antonia, who is only fifteen when ''[[The Monk (Literature)|The Monk]]'' opens, and extremely sheltered from having grown up in an isolated castle with her mother. She even read an edited version of the Bible because her mother believed the text to be too violent.

 

== Live-Action TV ==

* Trance Gemini of ''[[Andromeda]]'' likes to give this impression, but it's not true.

** However she also shows great strength of character, bravery, and generally sees through anyone who tries to fool her.

* Pandora of ''[[Skins]]'' series 3 (and occasionally series 2) is sheltered and naive, self-confessed to be useless, and often is the unwitting source of innuendo. Part way through the third series she {{spoiler|falls in love with Thomas, an African immigrant, and a true gentleman.}} But later {{spoiler|in Thomas' absence, she is seduced by Cook, and quickly loses her blissful ignorant disposition as this complication comes to light}}.

** Parodied in one episode when Liz is growing cynical about New York. An innocent-looking young woman steps off a bus, and enthusiastically asks: "say, where does a young prostitute go to get a start in this city?"

** Ironically, the character closest to [[The Ingenue]] would be ''Brittney''. Despite not being a virgin, she is [[The Ditz|rather naive]] to extreme levels and yet is pure-hearted and idealistic enough to still believe in [[Santa Claus]] and [[Magic Feather|magic combs]].

*** Though that's only counting the students. Outside of the Glee club, Emma is something of a modern-day Deconstruction of [[The Ingenue]].

* Rose Nylund from ''[[The Golden Girls]]''.

* Played with and subverted in ''[[Carnivale]]''. Even though she has been working as a prostitute and stripper since her early teens, Libby from fits surprisingly well into this trope. Her characterization relies heavily on her attempting to reconcile the realities of her life with her identity as a normal 1930s-style ingenue. She is extremely trusting and innocent (at least, with regards to human nature and life), has few social ties outside and information sources outside of 30s popular media and her immediate and extended Carnival family (who, despite farming her out at an early age out of necessity, obviously love and protect her). She dresses and behaves like the traditional ingenue, has unrealistic dreams and is genuinely very vulnerable and sweet. She also seems to be somewhat misinformed about sex (for example, telling Sophie that you can't get pregnant your first time). When she becomes romantically involved with {{spoiler|Sophie and Jonesy}}, she is no more equipped or experienced than your average ingenue would be (despite knowing a lot more about sex): her shyness and vulnerability is presented as genuine.

** Sophie, on the other hand, plays with and subverts this trope. Despite being in her early to mid twenties, she knows almost nothing about sex. Her mother Appollionia actively prevented her from interacting with the strippers and other performers, and her few social contacts (Appollionia, Jonesy, Samson and Libby) are very protective of her and actively discourage attempts to explore her sexuality . Although she dated Jonesy prior to the start of the series, their relationship was not sexual and she remains a virgin until the incident during the dirtstorm with a man she knew was probably married. It is subverted particularly brilliantly when [[Manipulative Bastard|Sophie]] {{spoiler|seduces and sexually humiliates Libby for the sake of revenge }}. Consequently, her [[Bitch in Sheep's Clothing|occasional nastiness]], as well as her active attempts to explore and express her own sexuality might prevent her from being a completely straight example of this trope, but it certainly doesn't stop everybody around her seeing her as the classic Ingenue.

 

== Religion ==

 

 

* In spite of her manner of dress, Audrey from ''[[Little Shop of Horrors]]''.

* Nikki Harris in ''[[Curtains]]'' fits this trope to a T.

* The White Singer in ''[[Alegria]]'' -- according to the [[All There in the Manual]] material, she represents the goodness that existed and endured in the otherwise corrupt old order. She also has a touch of mischievousness about her, as seen during the Act Two opening sequence in which she brings a man from the audience onstage to dance with her.

* This is the image [[A Streetcar Named Desire|Blanche Dubois]] tries to project around others. It turns out {{spoiler|not to be the case}}.

* Maria in ''[[The Sound of Music]]''.

** Alfred is quite honestly a better fit for this trope, despite being, you know. Male.

* Christine Daaé in every incarnation of ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'' '''except''' [Gaston Leroux's original novel where she may be a daydreamer (and [[Genre Savvy]] victim of [[Stockholm Syndrome]]) but also a [[Well, Excuse Me, Princess!]] whose pluck and stubbornness unnerve Raoul several times before he realizes how wrongly he's misjudged her just because she ''isn't'' a meek little ingenue-type.

** In Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Christine is actually called "your precious little ingenue" (by her rival).

* Amelia Wildenhaim of ''Lovers' Vows''.

* Jemima from ''[[Cats]]'' is this in cat form.

== Video Games ==

* Kairi and Namine from the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' series. Every single Disney Princess appearing in this series seems to be watered down to fit this trope quite nicely too (save for Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora, who always were Ingenues.)

* Merrill in ''[[Dragon Age 2]]'' crosses this with [[Cloudcuckoolander]]. Bethany is this as well.

* Deirdre from ''[[Fire Emblem]]: Geneaology of the Holy War''.

* Amy Rose in the older games from ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]] (The 16-bit games and both Adventures)'' until Cream came and took her place.

** He can't be ''that'' clueless about sex; he sure knew where Eoleo was going with that "[[Walking Shirtless Scene|real clothes]]" comment.

* Aerie in ''[[Baldurs Gate 2]]''.

* Azusa Miura from ''[[The Idolmaster]]'' is a rather uncommon example of this. She's supposedly the oldest of the Idols, making her the local [[Cool Big Sis]]. The problem is she's [[The Ditz]] who has [[No Sense of Direction]], as well has having an innocence to match even her younger co-workers.

 

 

== Webcomics ==

* Tempest from ''[[Domain Tnemrot]]''.

 

 

== [[Web Original]] ==

** Well, she [[Character Development|was]], but [[Crazy Awesome|not]] [[Beware the Nice Ones|anymore]].

* Miss Cooter from ''[[Me and My Dick]]'' is sweet, naive, optimistic, beautiful and caring. There's just little thing: she's the heroine's vagina. It [[Makes Sense in Context]].

== Western Animation ==

* [[Classic Disney Shorts|Minnie Mouse]], in some/most versions. Sauciness/down-to-earth qualities may vary.

* ''[[Thumbelina]]'', to the point that she cannot defend herself in any way until the end of the movie.

* For some, Jeannette Miller from ''[[Alvin and The Chipmunks]]''. Not only is she never once seen to get angry about anything and is the most calm of the girls, but in the episode when the six kids had to work out which of them was at fault for a broken statue in their school, she wasn't even a suspect.