The term "ingenue" in literature has been employed to evoke an image of naïveté and delicacy that can mask a more complex, even subversive, inner life. For instance, Thackeray’s portrayal of Becky in Vanity Fair [1] uses the demure artifice of the ingenue to conceal her inherent danger, suggesting that appearances of innocence can be both beguiling and deceptive. In Howards End [2], the use is more straightforward—a concise compliment encapsulating the archetypal qualities of charm and vulnerability. Meanwhile, Fitzgerald’s depiction in This Side of Paradise [3] of a young girl's wide, starry-eyed gait underlines a constructed innocence that both captivates and hints at an underlying performance of naivety. Together, these examples reveal how the ingenue serves as a versatile literary device that can simultaneously embody genuine innocence and a calculated façade.