“Dracula embodies the fear of the unknown and he personifies the ‘nothing in the darkness’ that keeps children awake at night.” 

— Steve Roberts

Another year and yet another rereading of Dracula. To be honest, I am no longer sure at this point how many times I have actually reread this classic. I only know that I find myself picking it up again and again every September.

Each year, I focus on different aspects of Stoker’s classic. This year I decided to create a chronological timeline of key events based on the dated journal entries and letters in the novel. I will pint it out and so I have it for my next re-reading. And yes, there will no doubt be yet another rereading.

The core of the Dracula story spans from May to November (presumably 1893, though the year is never explicitly stated).

A Dracula Timeline

• May 3: Jonathan Harker departs England for Transylvania.
• May 5: Harker arrives in Bistritz.
• May 6-7: Harker is taken by coach to Castle Dracula.
• May 8–June 29: Harker is imprisoned at the castle, encounters Dracula’s brides, and learns the Count is a vampire.
• Late June: Dracula departs for England, taking boxes of earth with him.
• June 24: Mina Murray visits Lucy Westenra in Whitby.
• June 25: Lucy begins sleepwalking.
• June 29: Harker escapes the castle and is found in a convent in Budapest.
• July 24: The Russian ship Demeter sets sail for Whitby with Dracula on board.
• Late July: Lucy’s sleepwalking worsens; Mina becomes concerned.
• August 6: The Demeter nears England.
• August 8: The ship crashes at Whitby during a storm. The crew is dead; Dracula comes ashore in the form of a dog.
• August 10–13: Lucy’s health declines rapidly.
• August 24: Mina receives a letter saying Harker is in Budapest.
• August 27: Mina leaves to care for him.
• August 29: Mina and Jonathan marry in Budapest.
• Early September: Lucy’s condition worsens; Dr. Seward calls Dr. Van Helsing.
• September 6–17: Lucy receives blood transfusions from Seward, Van Helsing, Morris, and Arthur Holmwood.
• September 17: Lucy receives her final transfusion.
• September 20: Lucy “dies” and becomes a vampire.
• September 25–29: Lucy preys on children as the “Bloofer Lady.”
• October 1–4: Lucy is tracked to her tomb and destroyed by Arthur and Van Helsing.
• October 1: Jonathan and Mina return to England.
• October 3: Harker sees Dracula in London.
• October 7: Dracula attacks Mina; she begins to turn.
• October 15: The group consecrates the boxes of earth in Carfax and other locations.
• October 29: Dracula flees England, heading back to Transylvania.
• November 1–5: The group races to catch him: Van Helsing and Mina by train, the others by boat and horseback.
• November 6: Final Confrontation at Castle Dracula.