Identification of Gendered Discourses in a Fictional Text with a special focus on Gender Construal in Our Lady of Alice Bhatti 1 Identification of Gendered Discourses in a Fictional Text with a special focus on Gender Construal in Our Lady of Alice Bhatti *Faheem Arshad **Dr. Muhammad Uzair Abstract This research paper attempts to study the construal of gender by identifying different gendered discourses in the novel, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti. The present study draws on the interpretative framework of Sunderland (2004) for the identification of gendered discourses permeating a fictional text. Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Muhammad Hanif is a fascinating work of fiction that narrates the story of a Christian nurse and her tumultuous and impoverished journey from a janitor’s daughter to a married woman, assuming healing powers to cure diseased people in a Christian Hospital of Karachi, until her life is cut short by none other than her own husband. The present study aims to identify myriad of gendered discourses by taking into account the linguistic traces, through a systematic and principled analysis of selected extracts. This paper primarily seeks to reveal the subtle and implicit workings of discursive means, reflected and constituted, in myriad of gendered discourses by carrying out a feminist critical discourse analysis for better understanding of varied forms of patriarchal practices and structures, aimed at subjugating and oppressing women. The findings indicate that by identifying multitude of dominant and contesting discourses with a critical focus on the selected extracts, the meticulous construal of gender in the fictional narrative can be analysed in the different overriding and contesting discourses of the novel, to reveal the prevalence of patriarchal dominance and the resistant feminist struggle, respectively. Keywords: Gender, Gendered discourses, Linguistic analysis, discursive means, Feminist critical discourse analysis, Dominant discourses, Contesting discourses I. Introduction Discourse analysis views language as a constitutive system that forms part of a broader network linked with thoughts, experience, culture and society. Therefore, it is essential to look beyond features of language like; syntax, phonology and grammar and to take into account more socially based view of language (Matheson, 2005, p. 3). My analysis is predisposed to an extent, although not entirely, by this conception of discourse. It is particularly relevant to highlight the idea that construal of gender as woman and man is constrained by the ways in which we can think about or talk about the femininity and masculinity, respectively. It is highly pertinent to clarify here that my contention is not premised on the principle that women and men can’t really challenge or alternative/progressive ideas about gender cannot be construed, rather, constitution of gender is always done within the bounds of socio- cultural practices, prevailing in a society. For example, ideas about masculinity and femininity are always grounded in the biological and social knowledge about gender,  * Department of English, University of Sargodha, Sargodha ** Director Academics, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad