DR. SEWARD'S DIARY
5 June. --The case of Renfield grows more interesting the more I get to understand the man. He has certain qualities very largely developed, selfishness, secrecy, and purpose. I wish I could get at what is the object of the latter. He seems to have some settled scheme of his own, but what it is I do not know. His redeeming quality is a love of animals, though, indeed, he has such curious turns in it that I sometimes imagine he is only abnormally cruel. His pets are of odd sorts.
Just now his hobby is catching flies. He has at present such a quantity that I have had myself to expostulate. To my astonishment, he did not break out into a fury, as I expected, but took the matter in simple seriousness. He thought for a moment, and then said, "May I have three days? I shall clear them away." Of course, I said that would do. I must watch him.
As we blog along, I find it helpful to occasionally recap where the story stands in relation to the main characters. Let's see.
We have Jonathan Harker at Castle Dracula, certain that he is being held prisoner by a man and three women who seem to possess supernatural powers and are anxious to drink his blood.
We have Mina (no last name given) at school, worried and wondering why Jonathan hasn't written to her.
We have Lucy Westenra, newly betrothed to Arthur Holmwood, and flying on Cloud Nine after having had her hand also asked for by the good doctor Jack Seward and the slang-talking American, Quincey P. Morris, all three of whom are friends with each other.
Finally, we have R. M. Renfield, a patient at Dr Seward's sanatarium, who is affording the doctor with an interesting study of a patient who seems to enjoy studying flies.
Except for Dr Van Helsing, we now have all the main characters present and accounted for.
Posted by: Baby Jinx | June 05, 2005 at 07:37 PM
How soon is the next diary entry?
It might be cool if the main page had some sort of countdown, "5 days until next post" or something similar.
Posted by: Christopher | June 15, 2005 at 09:07 PM
I'd as soon not know when the next entry is. That's part of the bloggy experience. What would it be like to be Mina waiting for news of Jonathan? The nailbiting is a part of the novel, now.
Anyway, there are enough P.D. texts and ebooks of Dracula available online that you could google a unique text string like "He thought for a moment, and then said, 'May I have three days? I shall clear them away.' Of course, I said that would do. I must watch him," and you'd have your answer in under a minute.
Posted by: HP | June 16, 2005 at 05:38 PM
Check the front page today!
Posted by: Bryan | June 17, 2005 at 12:07 AM
I wrote: "We have Mina (no last name given) at school..."
This is just a correction to my comment about Mina not having a last name. I don't know where my mind was at when I wrote that, because Mina's full name is at the head of every one of her journal entries as Miss Mina Murray.
Posted by: Baby Jinx | July 01, 2005 at 05:40 PM