Literary notes about Inconceivable (AI summary)
Writers employ the word "inconceivable" to underscore phenomena that defy ordinary understanding or stretch the limits of human experience. It is used not only to capture moments of extreme emotional or physical intensity—such as a sudden, inexplicable impulse driving personal curiosity ([1]) or a character’s astonishment at an unfathomable circumstance ([2])—but also to evoke ideas of power and divinity beyond the natural realm ([3]). In some narratives, the term highlights the surreal or paradoxical nature of events, whether in describing the rapid emergence of a consuming force ([4]) or emphasizing the moral and intellectual limits of human judgment. This multifaceted use enriches the narrative by imbuing ordinary situations with an aura of mystery and transcendence.
- Very suddenly, and by some inconceivable impulse, I became intensely imbued with personal interest in what was going on.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe - I am given the position because it is so entirely inconceivable!”
— from The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - To his mind this was power unusual, power inconceivable and beyond the natural, power that was godlike.
— from White Fang by Jack London - It had taken, with inconceivable rapidity, the character of a gigantic mantle of rare flame, extending from horizon to horizon.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe
