Ingenue is the role of a naive girl

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

If you think about how many borrowed words successfully function and take root in the modern Russian language… We have long ceased to notice the foreign origin of some of them. Others, on the contrary, evoke a whole range of emotions when heard in the context of a conversation.

Take theatrical terminology, for example. Most of us think of ourselves as well-rounded people, but wonder if you know what an ingenue is.

Where did the word come from

Even people far from philology can easily determine the origin of this word. There is something refined, light, almost soft in it. Quite right, the word came to us from distant romantic France, where even the most ordinary things receive a special, incomparable name and sound.

As is the case with borrowed words, you can think about the meaning of this for a long time, putting forward a variety of assumptions. Someone, hearing the word "ingenue", makes an association with the image of the nude. Others recall the naturalness, natural beauty and immediacy of youth. The second option is even somewhat close to the truth, but it cannot be called fully true.

The whole world is theater

The point is that"Ingenue" is a term originally associated with spotlights, stage and burgundy curtains. It was in the theater that it was first applied in relation to a specific phenomenon, after which it migrated to the expanses of world cinema.

So, an ingenue is a kind of characteristic, a kind of image, strongly associated with a stage worker. In everyday life, we often encounter situations where, at the first meeting with a person, we can guess about his character, life position, and aspirations. So in this case, ingenue is the image of a young, inexperienced girl who is firmly associated with a particular actress.

What it looks like

It is easy to guess that not all the fair sex is suitable for such a role. A stocky and strongly built lady is completely unsuitable for the role of a young charmer, this is quite natural.

Ingenue is always lightness, subtlety and innocence embodied in the human body. This role is the lot of miniature girls with wide eyes and great enthusiasm for the world. It is not at all necessary that the actress be a sixteen-year-old beauty - just a visual resemblance to the described ideal of beauty is enough for this image to become a permanent stage mask.

Was it always like this

In fairness, it should be noted that ingenue is a role that has gone through a number of transformations. For example, at first, only young girls with a completely defined character could shine in this capacity, where there is more naivety than anything else. If you remember Karamzin's "Poor Lisa", you can clearly imagine this pure image in almost perfect correspondence.

Over time, the image began to transform, get additional shades, and soon the role of ingenue was understood as a kind of simpleton, completely unadapted to harsh reality and constantly getting into trouble. It is noteworthy that this meaning is characteristic of the Russian theatrical tradition. Gradually, the roles began to differentiate, divided into “shy”, “simple”, “virgins” and gentle “virtuous girls”. Even later, this role ceased to be purely female - young ingenues were required on the stage, but one of its first representatives was Voltaire's Candide.

Thus, like any other phenomenon in our lives, the very concept of ingenue has repeatedly changed. Today we understand it in one way, but perhaps in a few years this word, tracing from French, will acquire a completely different meaning.

Only one thing is clear: no matter how many years pass, the world will always admire the natural charm, naturalness and ease of the owners of this role.