INVESTIGATIVE DISCOURSE AND THE POETICS OF DEDUCTION: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF O‘LMAS UMARBEKOV’S FOTIMA VA ZUHRA AND ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE’S THE SPECKLED BAND

Abstract

This article examines the poetics of investigation in O‘lmas Umarbekov’s Fotima va Zuhra and Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Speckled Band through a comparative discourse analysis. The study focuses on the artistic organization of crime investigation and mystery resolution, the presentation and interpretation of evidence, the formation of suspicion and hypotheses, the construction of the investigator figure, and the role of logical inference in narrative development. Particular attention is also paid to the narrative and linguopoetic devices employed to construct investigative discourse, including dialogue, description, repetition, contrast, suspense, and the gradual distribution of information. The findings demonstrate that Doyle primarily constructs investigation according to a deductive and logical model, whereas Umarbekov expands the investigative process through social and psychological dimensions. Despite these differences, both authors employ the conventions of detective fiction to involve readers in the search for hidden truth and in the reinterpretation of apparently unrelated events.