GENDER DISCOURSE OF “A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS” BY KHALED HOSSEINI

This piece aims to investigate some aspects of gender discourse verbalization in modern literature on the basis of the fiction novel "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini.The piece in question aims to research two main female characters of the novel: Laila and Mariam in terms of feminism and feminist discourse actualization under religious (Muslim) norms.The history of women's struggle for their rights, despite the fact that this struggle is an integral part of human history, is almost unknown to the vast majority of citizens, both men and women.It is only in recent decades that feminism has become the subject of public debate, research, and in sometimes, even a discipline at certain universities.The struggle of women for their rights, both political and economic, cultural and, above all, social began to gain momentum with the advent of suffragism and this process is still far from being over.Recently, interest in women's history has increased significantly, as women's position in society is an acute social problem.However, despite all the achievements of feminism, men still prevail in all spheres of life, especially when it comes to countries whose citizens profess Islam and obey Sharia law.The ideology of feminism, which became widespread in the mid-twentieth century, has greatly influenced the way women think, live, and behave in society.During its development, feminism has emerged in different directions, which, in turn, have formed under the influence of society.Gender discourse analysis is one area of critical discursive research that focuses on establishing the correspondence between the gender structure of society and the gender asymmetric structures of discursive practices.Analyzing a number of scientific works (philosophical, literary, linguistic, etc.)The authors come to the conclusion that linguopragmatic aspect is of utmost importance for a literary fiction writer trying to introduce both literary and linguistic concepts (as well as philosophical) peculiar to the discourse in question: Khaled Hosseini portrays his female characters as fighters, not as victims, which is a rather extreme idea for Muslim communities, especially rural Muslim communities of the past and present.