#seward summary

[silvermuffins]

So! The book Draculais over a hundred years old, and has some very dated and terrible understanding of mental health and psychiatric care as a result. I encourage everyone to skip whatever you feel you must in order to take care of yourselves. I think I will try and provide some pared-down notes on Seward's entries for anyone who wants to know more than the day's memes, but cannot stand to read Seward's parts.

Seward is Very Sad after Lucy's rejection so he throws himself into work

He picks a puzzling patient and does his thing

He introduces the patient as Renfield, and doesn't specify what his deal is

He makes some mention of Renfield being very strong and smart, and "dangerous if unselfish" (as in, if he's driven by a cause, caution isless of a factor)

After that it's Quincey! Scroll down to that and read Quincey's letter.

[silvermuffins]

Seward Summary!

Hooboy, going up late today, but I've got some time so here we go!! Let's dive right in.

WARNINGS: fly-eating

We're back to dealing with Renfield, who had a violent fit yesterday at exactly noon requiring Seward's men to use all their strength to hold him back.

After only five minutes, he calmed down and fell into a melancholy funk that persists until the present.

Upon his return from visiting Lucy, and his arrival into the situation, Seward had had to immediately deal with several other patients disturbed by Renfield's screams.

It's now dinnertime and Renfield is still sullen, but Seward can't tell why.

Later! Around 5 pm Renfield was suddenly happy again, and catching flies, eating them, and keeping track of them, just like he used to.

He apologized and asked Seward politely to be let back in his old room and to return his notebook. Seward allowed this, and soon Renfield was happy as a clam - spreading his sugar on the windowsill, catching the flies, and putting them in a box, and already hunting for a new spider.

Seward tried to get details out of him, but all Renfield said, in a sad tone, that "he has deserted" him, and that the only hope for him would be to do it himself. He then promptly asked for more sugar, it would be good for him, because the flies like it so he likes it too.

Seward gave him more sugar.

Midnight! Time of recording, not time of events. Seward returns from visiting Lucy, who is doing better, and was watching the sunset when he heard Renfield screaming again. He turns and is struck by how dark and gothic his abode is, and how he's lonely.

He arrives to Renfield as the sun sets, and finds that he gets calmer the lower it sinks. Then he flops to the floor altogether the moment it dips below the horizon.

Seward has the attendants not hold him to see what he does. Renfield proceeds to brush away the sugar, dump his flies out the window, throw away the box, close the window, and sit down on the bed.

When asked, he says he's sick of "all that rubbish" about keeping flies. Seward is frustrated at not understanding Renfield's mind.

Seward does think maybe there's a clue in the timing of the fits - high noon and sunset. Maybe some influence of the sun, comparable to how the moon was believed to affect some people.

We conclude with a telegram from Seward to Van Helsing, simply telling him that Lucy is still fine today.

Okay! Whew! Y'all this is tough while away at con but the con's nearly over and you all are lovely.

[silvermuffins]

Seward Summary!

Might be a bit sloppy because I'm doing this as I go today woop woop

Off Seward goes with Van Helsing for an afternoon adventure of sneaking into the graveyard, breaking into Lucy's tomb, and opening her coffin.

Seward thought last night was absurd, checking if a dead woman was still dead after a week, but thinks this is even sillier when they already saw last night that she's not there.

Van Helsing opens the coffin up. Lucy is in it.

She's even prettier than before, and Van Helsing points out her long, sharp teeth for biting children.

Seward already senses he's wrong but argues anyway that someone must simply have put her back.

Van Helsing points out that week-old dead bodies don't look like this. He' s right.

He then discusses about how she's different from all other vampires, because she was bitten while sleepwalking, and fed from, and even died while in a trance. This makes it harder for him to kill her, because there's more of the goodness they knew from her life left.

Seward is finally pushed to be willing to accept this explanation by his own horror at the thought of killing a woman who is already dead. He asks how to do it, and Van Helsing explains - decapitation and garlic.

He does not do it now. He thinks about how to proceed, and says they won't do it tonight. Lucy hasn't killed anyone yet, though that's only a matter of time, but there's more to consider than just getting the job done as efficiently as possible.

Mostly, this is for Arthur's sake. Seward, who has seen so much more of the events surrounding Lucy's death, still doubted Van Helsing. Surely Arthur couldn't be expected to believe him.

Van Helsing is most worried that Arthur will wallow in doubt about the truth forever. That he'd be tormented by the thought of Lucy being buried alive, and what she'd go through in that case, only to be killed by their efforts to stop a vampire...but that he'd also never be completely sure they weren't right.

Instead, Van Helsing determines Arthur will need to know the truth too, and he'll suffer a lot but rest better for it after. He sends Seward home, and says he'll be spending the night in the graveyard himself. They'll come back here with Arthur and Quincey tomorrow.

After that there is an additional note from Van Helsing. Happy reading!

[silvermuffins]

Seward Summary!

Not a long one today, largely taken up by Van Helsing talking about laughter.

Everything is over. Arthur has gone home and taken Quincey with him. Quincey bore through all the hardship and turmoil without breaking down and Seward takes time to note that America will be a world power if it can keep producing men like him.

Van Helsing is returning to Amsterdam to make some arrangements, but then will return tomorrow and stay with Seward for some time to conduct business.

The past few weeks were hard on him, too.

As the four men were parting ways, Arthur spoke of his transfusion as if it was his wedding to Lucy. The others did not say anything, though Van Helsing struggled.

Once Seward and Van Helsing were alone in a carriage together, Van Helsing broke down into laughing hysterics, laughing and crying and laughing some more.

Seward could do nothing but close the blinds and wait it out. He asked what was so funny when Van Helsing finally calmed down.

Van Helsing talks at length about how King Laugh comes whenever he damn well pleases, even when you are grieving, and you have to accept that and take what laughs you can get because everything is bad right now. Laughter relieves some of the strain of life's bad times and helps you keep going.

He drops a few details, like how Arthur looks like Van Helsing's son if his son had lived to adulthood. This makes Van Helsing all the more protective.

Seward really does not see anything to laugh at in all the situation of futility or burial, and also points out Arthur's suffering.

Van Helsing acknowledges that the transfusion-marriage is a comfort to Arthur, but points out that by that logic Lucy had four husbands, one of whom being Van Helsing himself, who is married and faithful to the woman he married - even though she has lost her mind and isn't a wife to him now.

Seward still doesn't see any humor and is a bit uncomfortable with that whole suggestion.

Van Helsing asks forgiveness- he just trusts Seward with his feelings, which he held back when they would have hurt Arthur.

He thinks if Seward knew everything going through his head, he'd pity Van Helsing most, because he knows. He also says he won't laugh again for a long time.

Seward closes with feelings of gloom and grief and thinking of Lucy in her tomb. He is ending this diary and doesn't want to start another - if he does he'll devote it to different people and things.

"Sadly and without hope, FINIS."

[silvermuffins]

Seward Summary!

It's been a while since we've gotten something from him, huh? A reminder of what this is, since it's been so long - Dracula is over a hundred years old! The understanding of mental health and ethical medical healthcare represented in the book are, resultantly, not so great, and may be uncomfortable, upsetting, or triggering for some people to read. Of those people, some might want more than the day's memes to catch up, so I make these posts to summarize what happens in each of Seward's entries, doing my best to pare them down into something less likely to distress someone. You can find the other entries with my tag #seward summary or through the masterpost I have pinned!

The first part of today's entry is from Mina, so that's safe to go read. Then we get to Seward's part, which features a little less thinking and a bit more action than we've seen from his parts so far. Let's dive in!

WARNINGS: vague drug reference, implication of restraints

Something is different about Renfield's behavior! He got very excitable and started sniffing around.

The attendant, aware of Seward's particular study of Renfield, tried to get him to talk.

Renfield is usually polite to the attendant, even servile, but was suddenly very haughty and wouldn't talk to him.

All he would say was that the attendant is unimportant now because "the Master is at hand".

Seward and the attendant think it's a religious mania of some kind, and Seward is concerned that that's a dangerous combination with Renfield's existing habits.

Seward expects Renfield to soon believe that he is God, because he treated Seward with no more respect than the attendant. Clearly differences in status between people mean nothing to him at this point, which Seward takes as vanity.

Renfield continued to get more and more excited. Seward watched carefully, but without being too obvious about it (at least, that is how I'm reading that, the exact words are "I did not pretend to be watching him, but I kept strict observation all the same.")

Suddenly, Renfield's body language suggested he got an idea of some kind, and then went to sit quietly on his bed apathetically.

Seward tried to get him to talk about his pets/snacks. Renfield's reply is that he doesn't care about them.

When asked about that, he gives a cryptic answer about how bridesmaids delight eyes waiting for the bride, but when the bride comes up no one is looking at the bridesmaids anymore. (I'm paraphrasing.)

He refused to explain further.

Seward went to bed sad and lonely with Lucy on his mind. He considers taking a sleep aid if he doesn't nod off quickly, but felt like it'd disrespect Lucy to mix thoughts of her with the sleep aid.

His insomnia proved to be useful because around two in the morning he got word that Renfield had escaped.

Seward hopped up and threw on clothes quickly because he doesn't trust Renfield to be roaming or meeting people.

Renfield had escaped within the last ten minutes by ripping the window out, and the attendant was quick enough at hand to watch which way he went. Seward is thin so he could fit out the window and go after him.

Seward spotted a figure, presumably Renfield, climbing the wall that separates the asylum from the abandoned house.

Seward called for backup to head onto the grounds of said house, a place called Carfax. Then he got a ladder to go over the wall and keep following Renfield.

He finally caught up to Renfield while the man was pressed against the door of the chapel, speaking as if to someone.

After a few minutes, Seward saw that Renfield was mostly unaware of his surroundings, and got close enough to hear what he was saying, which I'll put down exactly.

"I am here to do Your bidding, Master. I am Your slave, and You will reward me, for I shall be faithful. I have worshipped You long and afar off. Now that You are near, I await Your commands, and You will not pass me by, will You, dear Master, in Your distribution of good things?"

Seward has some uncharitable thoughts toward Renfield's focus on being rewarded.

When Seward's backup arrived and they approached him, Renfield fought hard. He's a very strong man.

Seward doesn't want to deal with anyone being that angry and wild again, and is glad they caught him when they did because he could do some serious damage if left to it.

Seward took measures of the time period to make sure Renfield wouldn't escape again or harm himself or others while in this state. Renfield isn't happy about this.

Renfield has some coherent words in this fit of rage - "I shall be patient, Master. It is coming--coming--coming!"

At which point Seward promptly decided it was bedtime.

[silvermuffins]

Seward Summary!

Hello folks, let's hop right to it. As always, if there's anything I can do to improve this, or make my warnings better, please let me know.

WARNINGS: restraint implication

Renfield did not escape when given the opportunity.

As such, Seward concludes that since his calm spells seem to last a while, they can ease up on keeping him as strictly contained as they have been. He's quiet at night, so he can have less restriction until an hour before dawn.

Seward is pulled away from diary because Renfield escaped again.

He slipped out the door when the attendant came to check on him.

He went right back out to the abandoned house Carfax and was once again found pressed up against the chapel door.

When Renfield saw Seward, he became violent, and was quickly stopped but Seward believes Renfield would have tried to kill him.

Just as suddenly, Renfield became calm again.

Seward followed his eyeline to the sky and saw a big bat flying directly westward, as if it had some purpose, instead of flying more randomly like bats usually do.

Renfield calmed further and declared that he'd return quietly, without additional force, and they all went back without more issue.

Seward declares Renfield's calm spooky.

[silvermuffins]

Seward Summary!

My goodness this man writes to us often.

Lucy slept fitfully, with much fear of falling asleep, but the two doctors dutifully stayed with her in shifts. Quincey patrolled around the house.

Now it is morning, and Lucy is weak and can barely eat. She dozes sometimes. While asleep, she looks stronger but more exhausted. She breathes more softly.

Seward takes particular note of her gums pulling back from her teeth, so they look longer and sharper.

While awake, Lucy looks much more like herself, and also like she's dying.

She asks for Arthur, so they telegraph him and Quincey goes to pick him up.

Arthur arrives, and it's a very emotional time. Lucy spends more time dozing but Arthur's presence seems to give her more strength to stay awake. They both put on cheerful faces.

Van Helsing and Arthur are with her right now, Seward is doing his diary and will take his shift with her soon.

He does not think she'll last much longer.

[silvermuffins]

Seward Summary!

Real short today, just a telegram from Seward to Van Helsing. Nothing troublesome in it whatsoever. For completion's sake, though:

Seward telegrams Van Helsing to inform him that Lucy's condition is improving. She is eating, sleeping, feeling, and looking well.

Yeah, that's it, that's all we got today.