positive effort

[Mher]

If you do not mind, I have two questions at the same time?
1. What does "positive" mean in this context? I take it to mean "successful" or "persistent."
2. In what sense is "indefinite" used here? Could you give another synonym for it?

Here is the sentence: "At length the slight quivering of an eyelid, and immediately thereupon, an electric shock of a terror, deadly and indefinite, which sends the blood in torrents from the temples to the heart. And now the first positive effort to think. And now the first endeavor to remember." (http://poestories.com/read/premature)

 

[probus]

Given the context (for which I thank you) I think that Poe meant something like conscious effort.

 

[thedeebo410]

1. In this case, positive effort means actively trying to think about something. I think the opposite of positive thinking in this case would be just passively observing and reacting.

2. Indefinite in this sentence means that the length of time the shock of terror is felt by the person is unknown, undefined, or undefinable. The length of time the shock of terror lasts is not as important as the power of the emotion in this case, I think.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I read indefinite differently. It sounds to me as though he's talking about a terror whose source he cannot name, a fear whose cause is unknown.

I love Poe!

=O]