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vickyvicarious · 5 months
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Who's Read What in Dracula? Masterpost
This is a little self-assigned project to try and keep track of who has read (as well as written) what documents, and, importantly, when they do so. Last year I spent some time thinking about this and it informed some of my thoughts about specific characters' perspectives and actions in interesting ways. So I thought it could be a neat resource to have for others!
I'm going to update this in time with the novel, so there won't be any spoilers. This post is going to be a master reference, with links to each individual character's posts. I originally wanted to do this as a series of graphs for each character, with color-coded bars for each document they've read, but I'm not savvy enough to figure out a non-confusing way to do so, especially given the number of different authors/documents. Instead, I'm going to have a separate post for each character, and just have the info in written form there. Here are the links to each of those, in order of introduction:
Jonathan Harker
Mina Murray
Lucy Westenra
Jack Seward
Quincey Morris
Arthur Holmwood
Abraham Van Helsing
Some housekeeping notes: Obviously, each character will have read their own writing. I'm not going to update day-by-day for any such things. Instead, I'll only update whenever they access new information by someone else, or begin what I'm counting as a new document.
Most of the time, we know for a fact when characters get access to a new document. However, there are a few exceptions. I have my theories, but I will mark them as speculative whenever that label applies.
I break up documents based on chunks of information and have assigned titles to them as such. The labels may change as time goes by as needed to avoid spoilers. I also try to add in dates, but for any longer accounts it will just be a range of dates rather than every entry.
Below the cut is a list of all the documents, in order of appearance, with dates. I'm using color-coding for all the main authors, which will match the colors used in individual character posts. This too will be updated over time, so no worries about spoilers here either. Unless, of course, you don't want to know if someone who has only written once before will go on to write often... in that case, don't look below.
Castle Dracula Diary (3 May-30 June) - Jonathan Harker
Invitation to Castle Dracula (3 May) - Count Dracula
Letter to Innkeeper (4 May) - Count Dracula *
Letter to Dracula (5 May) - Mr. Hawkins *
Letters to Lucy (9 May, 17 May?*) - Mina Murray
Letter to Mina (2/3 May?) - Jonathan Harker *
Letters to Mina (11 May?, 24 May) - Lucy Westenra
Dictated Letters Home (11 May, 18 May) - Jonathan Harker *
Letters to Various Solicitors (11 May) - Count Dracula *
Phonograph Diary (25 May-?) - Jack Seward
Letter to Art (25 May) - Quincey Morris
Telegram Reply to Quincey (26 May) - Arthur Holmwood
Intercepted Letters Home (28 May) - Jonathan Harker *
Renfield's Notebook (5 June?-?) - R. M. Renfield *
Log of the Demeter (18 July-4 August) - Captain of the Demeter
Whitby Journal (24 July-19 August) - Mina Murray
Message to Lucy (27 July) - Arthur Holmwood *
Daily Graph Articles (8-9 August) - News Correspondent
Letter from Budapest (12 August) - Sister Agatha
Letter to Carter, Patterson, & Co. (17 August) - Billington & Son
Letter to Mina (17/18 August?) - Mr. Hawkins *
Letter to Billington & Son (21 August) - Carter, Patterson, & Co.
Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy (24 August) - Mina Murray
London Diary (24 August-17 September) - Lucy Westenra
Whitby Letter (30 August) - Lucy Westenra
Letter to Jack (31 August) - Arthur Holmwood
Telegram to Jack (1 September) - Arthur Holmwood
Letter to Van Helsing (1 September?) - Jack Seward *
Letters to Arthur (2, 3, 6, 15?* September) - Jack Seward
Letter to Dr. Seward (2 September) - Van Helsing
Telegrams to Van Helsing (4-8 September) - Jack Seward
Telegram to Arthur (8 September) - Jack Seward
Telegram to John (8 September) - Van Helsing *
Telegram(s?) to Vanderpool (10, 13? September) - Van Helsing *
Delayed Telegram to Seward (17 September) - Van Helsing
Lucy's Memorandum (17 September) - Lucy Westenra
Unread Letters to Lucy (17, 18 September) - Mina Murray
Escaped Wolf Article (18 September) - Pall Mall Gazette
Telegram to Quincey (18 September) - Arthur Holmwood
Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate (18 September) - Jack Seward/Van Helsing *
Telegram to Arthur (18 September) - Quincey Morris
Telegram to Summon Arthur (19 September) - Jack Seward *
Hennessey's Report (20 September) - Patrick Hennessey
Letter to Mrs. Westenra's Lawyer (21 September) - Jack Seward *
Post-Whitby Journal (22 September-?) - Mina Murray
Telegram to Mrs. Harker (22 September) - Van Helsing
Letter to Mrs. Harker (24 September) - Van Helsing
* We know these documents exist, but never get to read them (or in one case, only get a brief excerpt) as they aren't added to the record. Sometimes some of the main characters do get to read them, but not always.
Question marks after a date denote uncertainty, though they're all likely written within a few days of the tentative one listed. When after a dash they mark an incomplete document.
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vickyvicarious · 22 days
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Who’s Read What in Dracula? - Abraham Van Helsing
A spoiler-free breakdown of what documents Van Helsing has read, and when. I will add a new entry whenever he gains access to, creates, or finishes a document.
Links to other characters’ posts, explanation of the color-coding I’ve used, and all other notes/explanations relating to how I am sorting/tracking this can be found in my WRWD Masterpost.
Tracking begins below the cut.
September 2
Letter to Van Helsing
Letter to Dr. Seward
We never see the letter asking Van Helsing to come, so when exactly he reads it is a bit speculative. I'm guessing it was sent the evening before, and he both reads it and writes his reply on this morning. Jack would then get the reply closer to afternoon/evening the same day. I think this allows for enough travel time for the letters. Regardless, the earliest he could have seen it was one day before. His letter is definitely written today.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward
September 4
Telegram to Van Helsing
Van Helsing gets a telegram update on Lucy's condition from Jack.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegram to Van Helsing
September 5
Telegram to Van Helsing
Van Helsing gets another telegram update on Lucy's condition from Jack.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegrams to Van Helsing
September 6
Telegram to Van Helsing
Van Helsing gets another telegram update on Lucy's condition from Jack. This time it's very bad, and Jack asked him to come right away.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegrams to Van Helsing
September 8
Telegram to Van Helsing
Telegram to John
Jack sends him a telegram letting him know that the transfusion worked and Lucy is doing better. Van Helsing sends Jack a telegram from Amsterdam, asking him to stay with Lucy during the night, and letting him know he'd be back in the morning.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to John
September 10
Telegram to Vanderpool
After supervising a second transfusion of blood, Van Helsing sends a telegram to his friend Vanderpool in Haarlem, ordering a shipment of garlic flowers to Lucy's house.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to John, Telegram to Vanderpool
September 13?
Telegram to Vanderpool?
Lucy's diary later mentions a boxful of garlic being delivered daily during the time Van Helsing stays with her. It's possible that was included in his original order, but I'm doubtful, given that he clearly was expecting them to be effective and for no one to throw them out. If daily delivery wasn't in his original order, then he must have sent another message requesting it from this point on. That, or daily telegrams each for one order. But that seems like too much added expense and trouble, so I'm presuming a single telegram to set up a standing order. Regardless, we don't see it.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to John, Telegram(s?) to Vanderpool
September 17
Delayed Telegram to Seward
Van Helsing leaves to do some more research. Unfortunately, he fails to properly address the telegram he sends to Jack, and Lucy is left alone overnight.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to John, Telegram to Vanderpool, Delayed Telegram to Seward
September 18
Lucy's Memorandum
Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate
Van Helsing arrives back at Hillingham to find Lucy dying because his telegram to Jack was delayed. After giving her a transfusion from Quincey, he and Jack read her memorandum together. They also work together to write Mrs. Westenra’s death certificate in order to forestall an investigation into her death.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to John, Telegram to Vanderpool, Delayed Telegram to Seward, Lucy's Memorandum, Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate
September 19
Telegram to Summon Arthur
Lucy, who is probably dying, asks for Arthur. Jack says "we telegraphed for him", so it may not have been he alone who wrote the telegram. But for simplicity's sake, I'm assuming he probably did so under her request and maybe even dictation. Regardless, it's likely safe to assume all the men there saw this before sending it.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to John, Telegram to Vanderpool, Delayed Telegram to Seward, Lucy's Memorandum, Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate, Telegram to Summon Arthur
September 21
Letters to Lucy
London Diary
Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy
Unread Letters to Lucy
With both Westenras dead, Van Helsing suggests the doctors search for their relevant documents before the funeral. He takes Lucy's to ensure no one else removes them before going to bed (on the 20th or early morning on the 21st). The next day he gets permission from Arthur (the inheritor) to keep and read them. These would include all the letters Lucy has received from Mina, as well as things she's written for herself. It's quite possible he read them before getting that permission, but it's likely that he was up past midnight at the time anyway, so I'm counting this as the 21st.
The wording Van Helsing uses ("only some letters and a few memoranda, and a diary new begun") sort of implies that Lucy may have written other notes to herself or to others besides the one we know about, but if so it doesn't seem to come up anywhere else, so it's likely not relevant.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to John, Telegram to Vanderpool, Delayed Telegram to Seward, Lucy's Memorandum, Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate, Telegram to Summon Arthur, Letters to Lucy, London Diary, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Unread Letters to Lucy
September 22
Telegram to Mrs. Harker
Van Helsing sends Mina a telegram informing her of the Westenras' deaths.
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to John, Telegram to Vanderpool, Delayed Telegram to Seward, Lucy's Memorandum, Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate, Telegram to Summon Arthur, Letters to Lucy, London Diary, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Unread Letters to Lucy, Telegram to Mrs. Harker
September 24
Letter to Mrs. Harker
Van Helsing sends Mina a letter asking if he can visit and talk to her "about certain matters vitally important".
Total documents: Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to John, Telegram to Vanderpool, Delayed Telegram to Seward, Lucy's Memorandum, Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate, Telegram to Summon Arthur, Letters to Lucy, London Diary, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Unread Letters to Lucy, Telegram to Mrs. Harker, Letter to Mrs. Harker
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vickyvicarious · 5 months
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Who’s Read What in Dracula? - Mina Murray
A spoiler-free breakdown of what documents Mina has read, and when. I will add a new entry whenever she gains access to, creates, or finishes a document.
Links to other characters’ posts, explanation of the color-coding I’ve used, and all other notes/explanations relating to how I am sorting/tracking this can be found in my WRWD Masterpost.
Tracking begins below the cut.
May 9
Letter to Lucy
Letter to Mina
Mina writes a letter to Lucy anticipating her visit. She also mentions having read a short letter from Jonathan in Transylvania, saying he's doing well and will be home in about a week.
May 13?
Letter to Mina
Mina receives Lucy's letter, likely written on or about May 11. Given swift postage I imagine it would not take very long for her to get it, so I'm allowing a couple of days. This is also an attempt to balance the time between letters.
Total documents: Letter to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina
May 17?
Letter to Lucy
Mina writes a second letter to Lucy, apparently expressing sympathy. We don't see this letter and thus don't know its exact date. I've placed it midway between the other letters from Lucy.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina
June 7-12?
Dictated Letter Home (May 11)
Based on later statements, it appears that Mina likely received Jonathan's first dictated note, claiming he would be home in about a month. The letter he wrote her in the first days of his travel only took a few days to reach her, but the final dictated letter took roughly a month, so I'm using that as a guideline for roughly how long it takes mail to arrive from Castle Dracula (perhaps a little less, as she's not in Whitby needing mail forwarded to her yet). This would mean Mina would have been expecting him to begin his return journey roughly around the time she received this letter.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Dictated Letter Home (May 11)
July 24
Whitby Journal
Mina arrives in Whitby and begins the journal she planned to write while there, starting off with a description of the graveyard where she likes to hang out.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Dictated Letter Home (May 11), Whitby Journal
July 25
Dictated Letter Home
After she asks for any news of her fiance, Mr. Hawkins forwards Mina one of the letters Jonathan wrote on Dracula's behest. Based on her description ("a line dated from Castle Dracula, and says that he is just starting for home."), it appears to be the second one written on May 18, the one falsely dated June 19, which claims "that I was starting on the next morning from the time of the letter". It could also be the one falsely dated June 29, which claims "that I had left the castle and arrived at Bistritz." Mina is immediately suspicious of this out-of-character letter. This letter also appears to be sent several weeks after she would have been expecting him to leave (based on his previous dictated letter).
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29')
August 8
Daily Graph Article
Mina reads the article about the dramatic grounding of the Demeter, and pastes it into her journal.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29'), Daily Graph Article
August 9
Daily Graph Article
Log of the Demeter
Mina copies the second article about the Demeter (and the accompanying captain's log) into her journal.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29'), Daily Graph Articles, Log of the Demeter
August 19
Letter from Budapest
Letter to Mina
Mina receives mail. Mr. Hawkins forwards her Sister Agatha's letter. He also sends her a letter (which we do not see) helping to arrange her travel to go to Jonathan. This date also marks the final entry in Mina's Whitby Journal.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29'), Daily Graph Articles, Log of the Demeter, Letter from Budapest, Letter to Mina
August 24
Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy
Mina arrives at the hospital in Budapest, reunites and is married to Jonathan, and writes a letter to Lucy about it. She also receives Jonathan's Castle Dracula Diary, but on his request does not read it. Instead she seals it shut with her wedding ring.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29'), Daily Graph Articles, Log of the Demeter, Letter from Budapest, Letter to Mina, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy
September 17
Unread Letter to Lucy
Mina writes Lucy a letter to catch her up on what has happened since her wedding. She's returned to Exeter, where Mr. Hawkins has designated the Harkers as his heirs.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29'), Daily Graph Articles, Log of the Demeter, Letter from Budapest, Letter to Mina, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Unread Letter to Lucy
September 18
Unread Letter to Lucy
Mina writes Lucy another letter, this time relaying the sad news that Mr. Hawkins has died suddenly. Mina is also struggling with keeping up a cheerful face for Jonathan, who's still suffering from nightmares and now uncertainty about his ability to run the firm.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29'), Daily Graph Articles, Log of the Demeter, Letter from Budapest, Letter to Mina, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Unread Letters to Lucy
September 22
Post-Whitby Journal
Telegram to Mrs. Harker
Mina picks up her journal again for the first time since she left Whitby, detailing Mr. Hawkins' funeral and an alarming flashback Jonathan experienced. She also gets a telegram from Van Helsing informing her of the Westenras' deaths.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29'), Daily Graph Articles, Log of the Demeter, Letter from Budapest, Letter to Mina, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Unread Letters to Lucy, Post-Whitby Journal, Telegram to Mrs. Harker
September 23
Castle Dracula Diary
Mina breaks the seal and reads Jonathan's diary, in hopes that the knowledge within will help to care for him.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29'), Daily Graph Articles, Log of the Demeter, Letter from Budapest, Letter to Mina, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Unread Letters to Lucy, Post-Whitby Journal, Telegram to Mrs. Harker, Castle Dracula Diary
September 24
Letter to Mrs. Harker
Van Helsing sends Mina a letter asking if he can visit and talk to her "about certain matters vitally important".
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29'), Daily Graph Articles, Log of the Demeter, Letter from Budapest, Letter to Mina, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Unread Letters to Lucy, Post-Whitby Journal, Telegram to Mrs. Harker, Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Mrs. Harker
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vickyvicarious · 5 months
Text
Who's Read What in Dracula? - Jonathan Harker
A spoiler-free breakdown of what documents Jonathan has read, and when. I will add a new entry whenever he gains access to, creates, or finishes a document.
Links to other characters' posts, explanation of the color-coding I've used, and all other notes/explanations relating to how I am sorting/tracking this can be found in my WRWD Masterpost.
Tracking begins below the cut.
May 3
Invitation to Castle Dracula
Castle Dracula Diary
Letter to Mina?
Jonathan begins his journal about his trip, and reads Dracula's invitation. Speculative: We don't see his letter to Mina, but she claims on May 9th that he wrote it when he was in Transylvania and doing well. Since he arrives in the region between the 2nd and 3rd, and his following entries closer to the castle are getting more spooked, I've tentatively placed it as being written/posted here.
May 5
Letter to Dracula
Jonathan is shown Mr. Hawkins' letter to Dracula, but only copies down a brief excerpt which introduced him.
Total documents: Invitation to Castle Dracula, Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Mina, Letter to Dracula
May 11
Dictated Letters Home
Jonathan writes two letters, one to Mina and one to Mr. Hawkins, claiming he will be home in about a month. These are 'formal notes' without much detail, because he knows Dracula will read them. He also gets a glimpse at the envelopes of several letters Dracula has written, but doesn't get the chance to read them himself. All this occurs in his May 12 entry, but he describes it as happening "last evening."
Total documents: Invitation to Castle Dracula, Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Mina, Letter to Dracula, Dictated Letters Home
May 18
Dictated Letters Home (three more)
On Dracula's insistence, Jonathan writes three more dictated letters home dated for various points in the future (June 12, 19, and 29), creating a false timeline of him leaving the castle. Dracula takes them and promises he will have them sent on the appropriate dates and not before. We hear about these letters in Jonathan's entry on the 19th, but he states that it was "last night."
Total documents: Invitation to Castle Dracula, Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Mina, Letter to Dracula, Dictated Letters Home
May 28
Intercepted Letters Home
Jonathan writes two letters seeking help, one in shorthand to Mina, and one to Mr. Hawkins. Dracula gets hold of the letters and burns the one to Mina. He claims that he will send the letter to Mr. Hawkins (which only tells him to get in touch with Mina), though I personally believe that was a lie.
Total documents: Invitation to Castle Dracula, Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Mina, Letter to Dracula, Dictated Letters Home, Intercepted Letters Home
June 30
Jonathan writes the final entry in his Castle Dracula diary, detailing his attempt to attack the Count with a shovel before he left the country. He resolves to try and climb down the castle wall to escape.
Total documents: Invitation to Castle Dracula, Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Mina, Letter to Dracula, Dictated Letters Home, Intercepted Letters Home
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vickyvicarious · 5 months
Text
Who’s Read What in Dracula? - Lucy Westenra
A spoiler-free breakdown of what documents Lucy has read, and when. I will add a new entry whenever she gains access to, creates, or finishes a document.
Links to other characters’ posts, explanation of the color-coding I’ve used, and all other notes/explanations relating to how I am sorting/tracking this can be found in my WRWD Masterpost.
Tracking begins below the cut.
May 11
Letter to Lucy
Letter to Mina
Lucy receives Mina's letter, probably either on the tenth or eleventh. Given the information she seems eager to tell Mina, I'm assuming that she writes back right away here, hence placing them on the same day. However, Lucy's letter isn't dated, so it is possible that it was sent a few days later.
May 17?
Letter to Lucy
Lucy gets another letter from Mina, in response to her first letter. I'm placing this roughly in between the two letters from Lucy, but any exact dating is speculative as we never get to read this particular letter.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina
May 24
Letter to Mina
Lucy writes a second letter to Mina, describing the three proposals she has received in one day.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letters to Mina
27 July
Message to Lucy
Mina mentions on the 26th that Arthur is expected in Whitby shortly, then on the 27th says that he's suddenly been called to visit his father who has fallen ill. It's possible that he had other communication with Lucy before now (or maybe the date was set before they parted, and Mina only mentioned it when the time was almost at hand), but at least it seems that he sent a letter or telegram to let the Westenras know his arrival in Whitby would be postponed.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letters to Mina, Message to Lucy
August 24
London Diary
Lucy begins keeping a diary in an effort to emulate Mina. She's feeling unwell just like she did in Whitby.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letters to Mina, Message to Lucy, London Diary
August 29?
Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy
Some time between the 24th-30th, Lucy receives Mina's letter about her wedding. I'm placing it here tentatively as I don't think she would wait very long after getting it to respond, but in the past Mina sometimes implied she was expecting letters from Jonathan later in the day.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letters to Mina, Message to Lucy, London Diary, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy
August 30
Whitby Letter
Lucy writes a reply to Mina's letter about her wedding. Stoker seems to have messed up his timeline here, because this letter is postmarked Whitby and shows Lucy doing well, while her London diary begins 6 days before and is decidedly less cheerful. (If she were lying, the postmark would be difficult to explain; at the same time, moving this earlier in the narrative would require changing several other dates so I'm not going to try and do that here).
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letters to Mina, Message to Lucy, London Diary, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Whitby Letter
September 17
Lucy's Memorandum
Lucy has a harrowing, horror-filled night in which a wolf breaks into her window, her mother dies on her lap, her maids are drugged, and she is preyed upon by Dracula. She writes a memorandum detailing everything she can recall. (Technically, this was probably written during the early hours of the 18th. It appears that the wolf's escape from the zoo was discovered at midnight, and Lucy talks about being up late into the night. Still, since we have no hard confirmation either way, I'm sticking with the date we're given.) This was also the date of Lucy's final diary entry.
Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letters to Mina, Message to Lucy, London Diary, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Whitby Letter, Lucy's Memorandum
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vickyvicarious · 4 months
Text
Who’s Read What in Dracula? - Jack Seward
A spoiler-free breakdown of what documents Jack has read, and when. I will add a new entry whenever he gains access to, creates, or finishes a document.
Links to other characters’ posts, explanation of the color-coding I’ve used, and all other notes/explanations relating to how I am sorting/tracking this can be found in my WRWD Masterpost.
Tracking begins below the cut.
May 25
Phonograph Diary
Jack makes his first (on the record) entry in his audio diary. He's sad about Lucy rejecting him, and has an interesting patient in Renfield.
July 1
Renfield's Notebook
It doesn't seem like Jack has been able to properly read Renfield's notebook, so much as catch glimpses of him writing it. But he has still seen it to some extent, enough to know generally what's inside, so I'm making a note of it here. He first mentions doing so on July first, but I'm guessing that Renfield has had his notebook at least as long as he's been keeping 'pets', so on the masterpost I tentatively dated this notebook as beginning by at least June 5.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook (glimpse)
July 20
Renfield's Notebook
Today, Jack drugs Renfield unconscious so that he can take and thoroughly read his "pocket-book." He doesn't discuss what he finds within in any detail, but he does talk about how it supports his theories and also that Renfield has "closed the account most accurately, and to-day begun a new record." Despite this, I'll still count it as one document moving forward since he seems to be writing in the same notebook, and we don't have access to either record ourselves.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook
August 19
Renfield's Notebook
It's still unclear how often Jack reads Renfield's notebook, but in his entry this day he remarks on some of the writing inside again, so he at least glimpses it again today.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook
August 31
Letter to Jack
Arthur sends him a letter, which he probably received the same day, asking him to visit Lucy the next day and sneakily examine her health without letting Mrs. Westenra know.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack
September 1
Telegram to Jack
Letter to Van Helsing
Arthur sends him a telegram to inform Jack he won't be able to come to Lucy's for tea as planned (due to needing to be with his sick father), and asking him to pass along information about her health. We also know that Jack writes Van Helsing a letter requesting his help, which we don't get to see. Given that it has to travel to Amsterdam and it was already afternoon when his visit was done, I'm presuming it must have been written the day before he gets the reply.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing
September 2
Letter to Arthur
Letter to Dr. Seward
Jack sends Arthur a letter detailing how his visit to Lucy went yesterday, and saying that he's asked his former professor Van Helsing to come and help. He also receives a letter from said man agreeing to come by the next day.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Arthur, Letter to Dr. Seward
September 3
Letter to Arthur
Jack writes another letter to Arthur, relaying the events of Van Helsing's visit to examine Lucy.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur
September 4
Telegram to Van Helsing
In addition to an entry in his diary, Jack sends Van Helsing an update on Lucy's condition, via telegram.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur, Telegram to Van Helsing
September 5
Telegram to Van Helsing
Jack sends Van Helsing another telegram update on Lucy's condition.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur, Telegrams to Van Helsing
September 6
Telegram to Van Helsing
Letter to Arthur
Jack sends out more updates on Lucy. She's taken a turn for the worse, but he tries to talk around how bad the situation is in his letter to Arthur. His telegram to Van Helsing is very urgent, asking him to come assist immediately.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur, Telegrams to Van Helsing
September 8
Telegram to Van Helsing
Telegram to Arthur
Telegram to John
Jack sends telegrams to both Arthur and Van Helsing, letting them know that the transfusion worked and Lucy is doing better. Van Helsing sends Jack a telegram back from Amsterdam, asking him to stay with Lucy during the night, and letting him know he'd be back in the morning.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to John
September 8
Telegram to Van Helsing
Telegram to Arthur
Telegram to John
Jack sends telegrams to both Arthur and Van Helsing, letting them know that the transfusion worked and Lucy is doing better. Van Helsing sends Jack a telegram back from Amsterdam, asking him to stay with Lucy during the night, and letting him know he'd be back in the morning.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to John
September 15?
Letter to Arthur?
On the 18th, Arthur says that he hasn't heard from Seward in three days. This indicates at least one letter sent to him which we haven't seen, which must have been sent during the time she was more recovered after her third transfusion on the 13th. It's possible there were more updates on Lucy's health as well which we don't see, but this is the only one specifically mentioned.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to John
September 18
Delayed Telegram to Seward
Telegram To Quincey
Lucy's Memorandum
Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate
Telegram to Arthur
A busy document day for Jack. He gets Van Helsing's telegram the day after it was sent, due to the lack of proper address, and thus is unable to stay with Lucy at night. When he is at her house this morning, he is shown Arthur's telegram to Quincey requesting his help. He and Van Helsing both read Lucy's memorandum from the night before. The doctors work together to write Mrs. Westenra's death certificate in order to forestall an investigation into her death. And finally, when he is on his way out to take it to the registrar, he sees Quincey's telegram reporting back to Arthur.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to John, Delayed Telegram to Seward, Telegram to Quincey, Lucy's Memorandum, Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate, Telegram to Arthur
September 18
Telegram to Summon Arthur
Lucy, who is probably dying, asks for Arthur. Jack says "we telegraphed for him", so it may not have been he alone who wrote the telegram. But for simplicity's sake, I'm assuming he probably did so under her request and maybe even dictation. Regardless, it's likely safe to assume all the men there saw this before sending it.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to John, Delayed Telegram to Seward, Telegram to Quincey, Lucy's Memorandum, Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to Summon Arthur
September 20
Hennessey's Report
Hennessey writes Jack with a report about Renfield's latest escape.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to John, Delayed Telegram to Seward, Telegram to Quincey, Lucy's Memorandum, Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to Summon Arthur, Hennessey's Report
September 21
Mrs. Westenra's Papers
Letter to Mrs. Westenra's Lawyer
At Van Helsing's suggestion, Jack reads through some of Mrs. Westenra's papers to try and find a will and her lawyer's information. He writes a letter to this lawyer after finding their address.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to John, Delayed Telegram to Seward, Telegram to Quincey, Lucy's Memorandum, Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to Summon Arthur, Hennessey's Report, Mrs. Westenra's Papers, Letter to Mrs. Westenra's Lawyer
September 22
After Lucy's funeral, Jack dramatically closes his phonograph diary, stating that he is finished.
Total documents: Phonograph Diary, Renfield's Notebook, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Van Helsing, Letter to Dr. Seward, Letters to Arthur, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to John, Delayed Telegram to Seward, Telegram to Quincey, Lucy's Memorandum, Mrs. Westenra's Death Certificate, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to Summon Arthur, Hennessey's Report, Mrs. Westenra's Papers, Letter to Mrs. Westenra's Lawyer
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vickyvicarious · 4 months
Text
Who’s Read What in Dracula? - Quincey Morris
A spoiler-free breakdown of what documents Quincey has read, and when. I will add a new entry whenever he gains access to, creates, or finishes a document.
Links to other characters’ posts, explanation of the color-coding I’ve used, and all other notes/explanations relating to how I am sorting/tracking this can be found in my WRWD Masterpost.
Tracking begins below the cut.
May 25
Letter to Art
Quincey writes a letter inviting Arthur to join him and Jack for a post-proposal party the next night.
May 26
Telegram Reply to Quincey
Quincey presumably receives Arthur's telegram sometime in the morning or early afternoon, so that he knows to expect him later that day.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey
September 18
Telegram to Quincey
Telegram to Arthur
Quincey gets a telegram from Arthur asking him to check in on Lucy. He arrives to a house in chaos and offers his blood for a transfusion. Afterwards, he sends a telegram to Arthur telling him that Mrs. Westenra is dead, and Lucy was ill but is recovering with the help of Van Helsing and Jack.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Telegram to Quincey, Telegram to Arthur
September 19
Telegram to Summon Arthur
Lucy, who is probably dying, asks for Arthur. Jack says "we telegraphed for him", so it may not have been he alone who wrote the telegram. But for simplicity's sake, I'm assuming he probably did so under her request and maybe even dictation. Regardless, it's likely safe to assume all the men there saw this before sending it.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Telegram to Quincey, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to Summon Arthur
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vickyvicarious · 4 months
Text
Who’s Read What in Dracula? - Arthur Holmwood
A spoiler-free breakdown of what documents Arthur has read, and when. I will add a new entry whenever he gains access to, creates, or finishes a document.
Links to other characters’ posts, explanation of the color-coding I’ve used, and all other notes/explanations relating to how I am sorting/tracking this can be found in my WRWD Masterpost.
Tracking begins below the cut.
May 26
Letter to Art
Telegram Reply to Quincey
Arthur receives Quincey's letter inviting him to hang out that night, and sends him a quick telegram accepting the invitation.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey
27 July
Message to Lucy
Mina mentions on the 26th that Arthur is expected in Whitby shortly, then on the 27th says that he's suddenly been called to visit his father who has fallen ill. It's possible that he had other communication with Lucy before now (or maybe the date was set before they parted, and Mina only mentioned it when the time was almost at hand), but at least it seems that he sent a letter or telegram to let the Westenras know his arrival in Whitby would be postponed.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Message to Lucy
August 31
Letter to Jack
Arthur write a letter to Jack, requesting his assistance in examining Lucy behind her mother's back. He's concerned about Lucy's health.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Message to Lucy, Letter to Jack
September 1
Telegram to Jack
Arthur sends Jack a telegram letting him know he has to leave town to be with his sick father, and requesting updates on Lucy's condition.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Message to Lucy, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack
September 2
Letter to Arthur
Arthur is likely receiving the updates Jack sends him either on the same or the next day, depending on what time during of day Jack sends them. I'm generally presuming same-day - particularly in this instance, as he'd asked for an update the previous day, and was very worried. I can see him waiting until the next morning, but not two full days without sending a wire asking how it went.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Message to Lucy, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letter to Arthur
September 3
Letter to Arthur
Again, assuming Arthur is getting the letters the same day they are sent, he would see Jack's second update on Lucy this day.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Message to Lucy, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letters to Arthur
September 6
Letter to Arthur
Arthur gets another letter from Jack, this time trying to talk around the fact that she is doing worse again.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Message to Lucy, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letters to Arthur
September 8
Telegram to Arthur
Arthur gets a telegram from Jack assuring him that the transfusion went well and Lucy is improved.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Message to Lucy, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letters to Arthur, Telegram to Arthur
September 15?
Letter to Arthur
On the 18th, Arthur says that he hasn’t heard from Seward in three days. This indicates at least one letter sent to him which we haven’t seen, which must have been sent during the time she was more recovered after her third transfusion on the 13th. It’s possible there were more updates on Lucy’s health as well which we don’t see, but this is the only one specifically mentioned.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Message to Lucy, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letters to Arthur, Telegram to Arthur
September 18
Telegram to Quincey
Telegram to Arthur
Arthur sends a telegram to Quincey, asking him to check up on Lucy as he hasn't gotten an update and is worried about her. His father is too sick for him to come himself. Later, Quincey sends him a telegram relaying that Mrs. Westenra has died, Lucy was ill but is recovering, and both Van Helsing and Jack are with her.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Message to Lucy, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letters to Arthur, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to Quincey, Telegram to Arthur
September 19
Telegram to Summon Arthur
Lucy, who is probably dying, asks for Arthur. Jack (and possibly others, as he says "we telegraphed for him") sends for him under her request and maybe even dictation.
Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Message to Lucy, Letter to Jack, Telegram to Jack, Letters to Arthur, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to Quincey, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to Summon Arthur
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