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Literary notes about naive (AI summary)

In literature, "naive" is a versatile descriptor that authors use to evoke unfiltered purity as well as to hint at limited wisdom. It can illustrate the charming, childlike authenticity of a character—such as the beaming, almost childish triumph described with naive admiration [1] or the direct, unpretentious tone that wins favor despite its simplicity [2]. At times, however, the term carries a critical weight, suggesting an unguarded self-love or an oversimplified way of engaging with the world, as noted in discussions of human nature and self-deception [3]. In this way, "naive" enriches literary portrayals by straddling the fine line between endearing innocence and a vulnerability to error.
  1. Her whole face was positively beaming at that instant with naive, almost childish, triumph.
    — from Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  2. “Very, very glad to make your acquaintance,” said the doctor in a loud tenor voice, shaking hands with me warmly, with a naive smile.
    — from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  3. Humanity, in the course of time, has had to endure from the hands of science two great outrages against its naive self-love.
    — from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud

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