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vickyvicarious · 6 months ago

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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 *

Demeter Articles (8-9 August) - Daily Graph Correspondent

Letter from Budapest (12 August) - Sister Agatha

Letter to Carter, Paterson, & 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

Letters to Mrs. Harker (24-25 September) - Van Helsing

Bloofer Lady Articles (25 September) - Westminster Gazette

Telegrams to Van Helsing (25, 29 September) - Mina Murray

Telegram to Mina (25 September) - Jonathan Harker *

Letter to Van Helsing (25 September) - Mina Murray

Post-Castle Diary (26 September-?) - Jonathan Harker

Carfax Letters (pre-3 May?) - Jonathan Harker *

Letter from Ring (24/25 September?) - Arthur Holmwood *

Note to Jack (24/25 September?) - Quincey Morris *

Undelivered Note to John (26 September) - Van Helsing

Note to Arthur and Quincey (27 September) - Van Helsing *

Message to Billington & Sons (27/28 September) - Jonathan Harker *

Reply from Billington (27/28 September) - Mr. Billington *

Telegram to Jonathan (29 September) - Mina Murray *

Carter Paterson Documents - Carter, Paterson, & Co *

* 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 as-yet incomplete document.

Some documents contain others within them. When this becomes relevant for characters reading them, I will list the main document read, then all others included in it with brackets, like this:

Main document [included document one, two]

#dracula daily #wrwd #wrwd masterpost #dracula meta #my meta #no one has ever asked for this. i just find it fun #both years so far i think 'probably not gonna be posting as much about dracula this time around' and then immediately start tracking stuff #or writing metas etc #also i'm doing this as we go so who knows if this format will work. hopefully so but if not i'll try to figure it out when it comes to that #dracula documents #can't believe i forgot that tag that's literally all this is

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vickyvicarious · 2 months ago

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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.

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.

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.

September 22

Telegram to Mrs. Harker

Van Helsing sends Mina a telegram informing her of the Westenras' deaths.

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".

September 25

Telegram to Van Helsing

Whitby Journal [Log of the Demeter + Demeter Articles]

Castle Dracula Diary

Letter to Mrs. Harker

Letter to Van Helsing

Van Helsing receives Mina's positive reply to his request for a visit. While there, he is shown first her original shorthand Whitby Diary (as a little joke), then given a copy of the typewritten version to read. This includes all the information about the Demeter. Before he leaves, Mina also gives him a typewritten copy of Jonathan's journal to take with him. He writes her back a letter affirming it is all true, and she sends him a letter inviting him over the next morning.

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, Letters to Mrs. Harker, Telegram to Van Helsing, Whitby Journal [Log of the Demeter + Demeter Articles], Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Van Helsing

September 26

Carfax Papers

Bloofer Lady Articles

Van Helsing visits the Harkers for breakfast. Jonathan gives him some papers to read on the train, including the Bloofer Lady Articles. It's made clear later on that Jonathan showed him other documents related to his early work for Dracula as well.

September 27

Note to Arthur and Quincey

Undelivered Note to John

Van Helsing sends a note to Arthur and Quincey, requesting they meet him and Jack at the Berkeley Hotel the next evening. Before standing guard in the graveyard alone all night, Van Helsing also writes a note to be delivered to Jack (along with both Harker diaries) should he not survive. Luckily, he seems to have lived, since he didn't send this note.

September 29

Telegram to Van Helsing

Van Helsing gets a telegram from Mina saying that Jonathan is in Whitby, and she is on her way into town to meet him. He's leaving for Amsterdam, so instructs Jack to meet her instead.

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, Letters to Mrs. Harker, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Whitby Journal [Log of the Demeter + Demeter Articles], Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Van Helsing, Carfax Papers, Bloofer Lady Articles, Note to Arthur and Quincey, Undelivered Note to John

#dracula daily #wrwd #van helsing

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vickyvicarious · 6 months ago

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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

Demeter 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'), Demeter Article

August 9

Demeter 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'), Demeter 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.

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.

September 4-6?

Whitby Letter

Mina likely receives Lucy's letter from Whitby within a few week or so of it being sent to her. There's a lot of confusion surrounding the date of when the letter was written, and I also have wondered about if Mina might not have gotten it before leaving Budapest, but on further reflection I think that she probably did, since there's no mention of it arriving later. So if it was indeed sent on the 30th, she probably got it around these dates.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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". She types up Jonathan's diary, in case others need to read it.

September 25

Telegram to Van Helsing

Letter to Mrs. Harker

Telegram to Mina

Letter to Van Helsing

Mina sends a telegram agreeing to Van Helsing's request for a visit. Before he arrives, she types up her Whitby Journal in case he wishes to read it. After his visit, he writes her a letter confirming that everything in Jonathan's journal is true. She writes back her thanks and an invite for breakfast with both Harkers in the morning. She also receives a wire from Jonathan letting her know he will be back tonight.

Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29'), Demeter Articles, Log of the Demeter, Letter from Budapest, Letter to Mina, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Whitby Letter, Unread Letters to Lucy, Post-Whitby Journal, Telegram to Mrs. Harker, Castle Dracula Diary, Letters to Mrs. Harker, Telegram to Van Helsing, Telegram to Mina, Letter to Van Helsing

September 27-28

Message to Billington & Son

Reply from Billington

This is somewhat speculative, but based on their actions in the following days, it seems fairly clear that after Van Helsing left, Jonathan and Mina began to share their information and take action. Jonathan likely wrote to Billington & Sons on the 27th and heard back from them the next day, but depending on whether they used telegrams or letters, the timing could vary. As they were working together on this, I imagine Mina would have probably seen these communications as well.

September 29

Telegram to Van Helsing

Telegram to Mrs. Harker

Phonograph Diary

Telegram to Jonathan

Escaped Wolf Article

Bloofer Lady Articles

Mina sends Van Helsing a telegram saying that Jonathan is in Whitby, and she is on her way into town to meet him. She gets a telegram from Jack explaining that he will meet her at the station instead as the professor is leaving for Amsterdam. Mina listens to Jack's audio diary. At first she only listens through September 9, but before the day is through she has listened to all of it and begun to type it all up. She also goes through the newspapers Jack collects, looking for any evidence of Dracula since the date he landed in Whitby, and finds the Bloofer Lady article, as well as probably the Escaped Wolf article.

Total documents: Letters to Lucy, Letter to Mina, Letter to Mina, Whitby Journal, Dictated Letters Home (May 11 + 'June 19/29'), Demeter Articles, Log of the Demeter, Letter from Budapest, Letter to Mina, Post-Whitby Letter to Lucy, Whitby Letter, Unread Letters to Lucy, Post-Whitby Journal, Telegram to Mrs. Harker, Castle Dracula Diary, Letters to Mrs. Harker, Telegrams to Van Helsing, Telegram to Mina, Letter to Van Helsing, Message to Billington & Son, Reply from Billington, Telegram to Mrs. Harker, Phonograph Diary, Telegram to Jonathan, Escaped Wolf Article, Bloofer Lady Articles

#dracula daily #wrwd #mina murray

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vickyvicarious · 6 months ago

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.

Pre-May 3

Carfax Letters

Near the end of September, Jonathan gives Van Helsing a bundle of papers. Based on later comments, it appears that this included some letters about Carfax/his early work for Dracula. Since we don't know exactly when they were written, I'm speculating that they were before his first diary entry as they appear to relate to the examination/buying of the Carfax estate. They may not all be written entirely by Jonathan.

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.

Total documents: Carfax Letters, Invitation to Castle Dracula, Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Mina

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: Carfax Letters, 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: Carfax Letters, 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: Carfax Letters, 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: Carfax Letters, 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: Carfax Letters, Invitation to Castle Dracula, Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Mina, Letter to Dracula, Dictated Letters Home, Intercepted Letters Home

September 25

Telegram to Mina

Jonathan sends Mina a telegram letting her know he will return home tonight rather than sleeping in London.

Total documents: Carfax Letters, Invitation to Castle Dracula, Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Mina, Letter to Dracula, Dictated Letters Home, Intercepted Letters Home, Telegram to Mina

September 26

Post-Castle Diary

Jonathan begins a new diary, now that he knows his experiences are real. When he meets Van Helsing, he offers his help to oppose Dracula. Van Helsing asks Jonathan about the work he did before leaving England. Jonathan confirms this is about Dracula, then offers Van Helsing "the bundle of papers" to read on the train. Based on later comments, it appears that this included some letters about Carfax/his early work for Dracula. Since we don't know exactly when they were written, I'm speculating that they were before his first diary entry as they appear to relate to the examination/buying of the Carfax estate.

It doesn't seem that Jonathan himself had read the newspapers he handed over yet (or at least, he didn't react to the vampire-related news if he did), but he did note the professor's reaction to one in particular. Based on some comments by Mina later, it seems unlikely the Harkers read these papers for a few days.

September 27-28

Whitby Journal [Log of the Demeter + Demeter Articles]

Message to Billington & Son

Reply from Billington

This is somewhat speculative, but based on their actions in the following days, it seems fairly clear that after Van Helsing left, Jonathan and Mina began to share their information and take action. I've put down the minimum number of documents I think he definitely read, though he could possibly have gone through all the letters Mina still had in her possession as well.

Jonathan likely wrote to Billington & Sons on the 27th and heard back from them the next day, but depending on whether they used telegrams or letters, the timing could vary. I highly doubt he would set off to investigate in Whitby without Mina showing him the information she had about there. In fact, I suspect she shared her journal first, and learning about the boxes arriving on the Demeter prompted Jonathan's investigations. He would have known of Billington & Sons being in Whitby from Dracula's envelopes which he glimpsed on May 11.

Total documents: Carfax Letters, Invitation to Castle Dracula, Castle Dracula Diary, Letter to Mina, Letter to Dracula, Dictated Letters Home, Intercepted Letters Home, Telegram to Mina, Post-Castle Diary, Whitby Journal [Log of the Demeter + Demeter Articles], Message to Billington & Son, Reply from Billington

September 29

Dracula's Letter to Billington & Sons

Letter to Carter, Paterson, & Co.

Letter to Billington & Son

In Whitby, Jonathan speaks to Billington Jr. and is able to read Dracula's letter to his lawyers (one of several counted as "Letters to Various Solicitors" in the masterpost, but listed individually here as that is the only one he's read), their invoice of the boxes sent on to the lawyers in London, and their reply. He makes copies of the letters between the two lawyers to bring back to the others.

#dracula daily #wrwd #jonathan harker

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vickyvicarious · 6 months ago

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

#dracula daily #wrwd #lucy westenra

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vickyvicarious · 5 months ago

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.

September 8

Telegram 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.

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.

September 18

Telegram to Summon 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, Telegram to Summon Arthur

September 20

Hennessey's Report

Hennessey writes Jack with a report about Renfield's latest escape.

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.

September 24/25?

Letter from Ring

Note to Jack

Jack says Arthur wrote him a letter shortly after Lucy's funeral. We know it was written on a Sunday, and I'm guessing that to be either the 24th (the one time in those days Jonathan isn't mentioned as working; making the funerals happen on Friday) or the 25th (the day of the newspaper articles, giving him three days after the funeral before writing). He also mentions getting a note from Quincey about how Arthur is doing, which sounds like it probably arrived on the same day.

September 26

Bloofer Lady Articles

Jack resumes his audio diary. Thematically, this could be counted as a separate document from his earlier audio diary, but for the purposes of how information is gathered/shared, I'm still counting it as the same one. Van Helsing shows him the Bloofer Lady Articles.

September 29

Telegram to Van Helsing

Telegram to Mrs. Harker

Castle Dracula Diary

Whitby Diary [Log of the Demeter + Demeter Articles]

Van Helsing gets a telegram from Mina (which he shows to Jack) saying that Jonathan is in Whitby, and she is on her way into town to meet him. He's leaving for Amsterdam, so instructs Jack to send her a telegram letting her know he will meet her at the station instead. When she arrives, she gives him both her and Jonathan's diaries to read, along with

#dracula daily #wrwd #jack seward

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vickyvicarious · 5 months ago

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

Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Telegram to Quincey, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to Summon Arthur

September 24-25?

Note to Jack

Arthur writes Jack a letter shortly after Lucy's funeral. We know it was written on a Sunday, and I'm guessing that to be either the 24th (the one time in those days Jonathan isn't mentioned as working; making the funerals happen on Friday) or the 25th (the day of the newspaper articles, giving him three days after the funeral before writing). Jack mentions getting a note from Quincey about how Art is doing which makes it seem as though they were written about the same time.

Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Telegram to Quincey, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to Summon Arthur, Note to Jack

September 27

Note to Arthur and Quincey

Arthur and Quincey get a note from Van Helsing, requesting they meet him and Jack at the Berkeley Hotel the next evening.

Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Telegram to Quincey, Telegram to Arthur, Telegram to Summon Arthur, Note to Jack, Note to Arthur and Quincey

#dracula daily #wrwd #quincey morris

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vickyvicarious · 5 months ago

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

Total documents: Letter to Art, Telegram Reply to Quincey, Message to Lucy

August 31

Letter to Jack

Arthur writes 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

September 24/25?

Letter from Ring

September 27

Note to Arthur and Quincey

Arthur and Quincey get a note from Van Helsing, requesting they meet him and Jack at the Berkeley Hotel the next evening.

#dracula daily #wrwd #arthur holmwood

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