Ireth
Myth Weaver
I'm working on plotting a WIP based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame (with a setting change and added fantasy elements), in which the main character, Diana, is the deaf bellringer of Leeds Parish Church in the late 1530's. Unlike Quasimodo in the original novel, Diana has only lived in the belltower for six years (she is currently 25, and was locked up when she was 19 after a lycanthrope bit her). She has also been deaf since birth, since it's a genetic trait rather than one acquired through years of ringing huge bells multiple times a day, every day for years on end. (Though even if she wasn't deaf to begin with, that certainly wouldn't help.)
My main problem is this: during the climax of the book, I need Diana to claim sanctuary in the cathedral on behalf of her hearing love interest Valerie, much like Quasi does for Esmeralda in the Disney film. Since I'm not certain how effective it would be with sign language, I want Diana to be able to shout the word for all to hear. I was thinking she'd learn how to speak the word from Valerie, who visits her in the belltower at the start of the story and later gives her shelter in my version of the Court of Miracles (new name pending). Trouble is, having been deaf all her life, Diana has no basis for understanding spoken word beyond some skill in lip-reading. And given the time period, cochlear implants or any modern hearing aids are a non-option. So how long would it take for Valerie to teach Diana, if they focus solely on that one word, "sanctuary"?
This is also relevant to their romantic subplot, as the longer I can give them from their first meeting to the climax and resolution, the more time I can devote to letting them fall in love without it seeming rushed or forced. (I'm veering toward [or possibly past?] the Disney version at the end, with both Diana and Valerie surviving and remaining a couple. There isn't any rival for Valerie's affections aside from my version of Frollo, nor do I intend to add one.)
My main problem is this: during the climax of the book, I need Diana to claim sanctuary in the cathedral on behalf of her hearing love interest Valerie, much like Quasi does for Esmeralda in the Disney film. Since I'm not certain how effective it would be with sign language, I want Diana to be able to shout the word for all to hear. I was thinking she'd learn how to speak the word from Valerie, who visits her in the belltower at the start of the story and later gives her shelter in my version of the Court of Miracles (new name pending). Trouble is, having been deaf all her life, Diana has no basis for understanding spoken word beyond some skill in lip-reading. And given the time period, cochlear implants or any modern hearing aids are a non-option. So how long would it take for Valerie to teach Diana, if they focus solely on that one word, "sanctuary"?
This is also relevant to their romantic subplot, as the longer I can give them from their first meeting to the climax and resolution, the more time I can devote to letting them fall in love without it seeming rushed or forced. (I'm veering toward [or possibly past?] the Disney version at the end, with both Diana and Valerie surviving and remaining a couple. There isn't any rival for Valerie's affections aside from my version of Frollo, nor do I intend to add one.)