In Defense of the "Heart of Darkness" and in Attacking Those Who Attack It on the Basis of Racism"I don't want to bother you too much with what happened to me personally,' [ Conrad] began, showing in this observation the weakness of many storytellers who seem so often unaware of what their audiences would like to hear" (Conrad, 9). Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad's best-known work, has been examined on many bases – more than I can list here, but including imperialism, colonialism, and racism. I would say that all bases of analysis are perfectly acceptable through which to criticize Conrad's novella, or any other writing. I would reason this if some of these bases – mainly racism – were not taken to an extreme level. In discussing racism, many critics seem to view Heart of Darkness as Conrad's unwavering vision of Africa, Africans, life, or whatever else one wants to interpret. Therefore, I propose that Heart of Darkness be taken for what it truly is: a work of fiction set in late 19th century Europe and Africa. When writing books, many authors prefer to research the topic rather than write about it blindly. Joseph Conrad, most likely, was no different, although he did his research – traveling through the Congo on a steamship – before writing his book. We say, very often, that Conrad's work is representative of his travels in the Congo. I don't disagree with this statement, but I point out the wording: Conrad's work is representative of his travels through the Congo; it is not a diary of his travels through the Congo. This point needs no support; as a matter of fact: Conrad never traveled to places called "Outer Station", "Central Station" or "Inner Station", although these places may represent actual places where Conrad traveled; similarly, Conrad has never met a man named Mr. Kurtz, although Kurtz may represent a real person that Conrad has met. Those who are currently upset that their entire thesis has been discredited by this point should refer to The Congo Diary, excerpts from Conrad's actual diary of his travels through the Congo, for comfort or greater disappointment, depending on the thesis. Following the line of thought that Heart of Darkness is fiction, many would eventually come to the question, "What is Conrad's main goal through this book?" Those examining it in terms of racism would quickly arrive at: "Conrad's primary goal in Heart of Darkness is to promote racism?"?