Which leads me to two points: 1.) were DVDs not in existence, and subtitles not available, I would have had no way of watching this show--ever; 2.) do a web search on "Dae Jang Geum," and the only pages that come back concern the show. So while popular entertainment has illuminated a culture unknown to me and a person unknown to people outside of Korea, actual historical knowledge proves harder to come by. Even though there are Korean history books in the English language, I have not found any books that deal exclusively with this figure in history, and while information on her may be scarce (and may be why the most well-known account of her life is a TV series), no novels have been written about her, either. Now, if I went to Korea and searched the Korean titles in a major bookstore, would that still be the case? If she is as revered a figure as the TV show makes her out to be, I doubt it.
I accept that neither I, nor anyone else, will ever be able to assimilate all the knowledge that mankind has accumulated up to this point in history, never mind the knowledge yet to be learned. What I do wish for, however, is for all or most of that knowledge to be readily available to those who wish to receive it. In this way, translators are some of the most useful people to society, for often what is hidden from one culture is revealed by another (case in point: "Dae Jang Geum"). And while it's always better to read something in its original language (as something is always lost in translation), when one is dealing with knowledge, better to reveal most of it that to reveal none of it. In fact, when it concerns history or culture, I feel the work cannot be translated into enough languages. We stand to gain more as a species if all of us can share in the tragedies and triumphs that make our planet's history so very interesting.
So, if any of you readers out there can shed some knowledge on this historical figure, feel free to comment.
Note: Since posting this blog, I have come across this article on King Jungjong, who appointed Jang Geum as his personal physician. While it does help to give a little background on the history of the period, this linking article on Jang Geum may explain why I can't find much on her: not much about her was written down. Even if more were known about her, however, I would prefer her portrayal in fiction to her portrayal in history, for I feel that the greater truths about a person and his or her times can sometimes only be reached in fiction, as nonfiction is limited by its scientific adherence to facts. Fiction, on the other hand, is only answerable to Truth, the facts be damned.
