FORMATION STAGES OF ECOLOGICAL DISCOURSE IN AMERICAN AND UZBEK LITERATURE

This article provides a comprehensive exploration of ecocriticism, tracing its formation, historical development, and core conceptual framework within literary studies. It examines how literature represents nature, human-nature relationships, and ecological issues across various cultural and historical contexts. The study highlights the aesthetic, symbolic, and ethical dimensions of ecological discourse in literary texts, demonstrating how writers use landscapes, flora, and fauna to convey moral, cultural, and environmental messages. Methodologically, the research integrates close textual analysis, historical-contextual interpretation, and comparative cross-cultural perspectives to capture the multifaceted nature of ecocritical representation. The findings reveal that ecocriticism functions as an interdisciplinary lens, bridging literature, environmental awareness, and ethical reflection, while fostering ecological consciousness among readers. By analyzing works from diverse literary traditions-including American, Uzbek, and global literature-the article underscores the role of literature as a living dialogue between humans and the natural world, encouraging reflection, moral responsibility, and sustainable thinking.