Editing Premchand (section)

== Style and influences ==
[[File:Munshi Premchand half bust statue.jpg|thumb|Bust of Premchand in [[Lamhi]]]]
Premchand is considered the first Hindi author whose writings prominently featured [[literary realism|realism]].<ref name="pib_2001_great"/> His novels describe the problems of the poor and the urban middle-class.<ref name="pib_2001_great"/> His works depict a rationalistic outlook, which views religious values as something that allows the powerful hypocrites to exploit the weak.<ref name="DavidRubin1994"/> He used literature for the purpose of arousing public awareness about national and social issues and often wrote about topics related to [[corruption]], child widowhood, [[prostitution]], [[feudal system]], [[poverty]], [[colonialism]] and on the [[Indian independence movement]].<ref>{{cite web|title=India Heritage:Creative Arts:Literature {{!}} Premchand|url=http://indiaheritage.org/creative/litra/p_chand.htm|website=India Heritage: A Living Portrait of India|access-date=8 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516183153/http://indiaheritage.org/creative/litra/p_chand.htm|archive-date=16 May 2006}}</ref>

Premchand started taking an interest in political affairs while at Kanpur during the late 1900s, and this is reflected in his early works, which have patriotic overtones. His political thoughts were initially influenced by the moderate Indian National Congress leader [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]], but later, he moved towards the more extremist [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]].<ref name="Gupta 1998 17"/> He considered the [[Minto–Morley Reforms]] and the [[Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms]] as inadequate, and supported greater political freedom.<ref name="Gupta 1998 17"/> Several of his early works, such as ''A Little Trick'' and ''A Moral Victory'', satirised the Indians who cooperated with the British Government. He did not specifically mention the British in some of his stories because of strong government censorship but disguised his opposition in settings from the medieval era and foreign history.<ref name="DavidRubin1994"/> He was also influenced by the teachings of [[Swami Vivekananda]].<ref name="Sigi_2006_25"/>

In the 1920s, he was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement and the accompanying struggle for social reform. During this period, his works dealt with social issues such as poverty, [[zamindar]]i exploitation (''Premashram'', 1922), dowry system (''Nirmala'', 1925), educational reform and political oppression (''Karmabhoomi'', 1931).<ref name="DavidRubin1994"/> Premchand was focused on the economic liberalisation of the peasantry and the working class and opposed rapid industrialisation, which he felt would hurt the interests of the peasants and lead to the oppression of the workers.<ref>{{Harvnb | Gupta | 1998 | p = 6 }}</ref> This can be seen in works like ''Rangbhoomi'' (1924).

Premchand's influence on Indian literature cannot be overstated. As the late scholar [[David Rubin (writer)|David Rubin]] wrote in ''The World of Premchand'' (1969), "To Premchand belongs the distinction of creating the genre of the serious short story—and the serious novel as well—in both Hindi and Urdu. Virtually single-handed, he lifted fiction in these languages from a quagmire of aimless romantic chronicles to a high level of realistic narrative comparable to European fiction of the time; and in both languages, he has, in addition, remained an unsurpassed master."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rubin|first=David|year=1969|chapter=Introduction|title=The World of Premchand: Selected Stories of Premchand|series=UNESCO Asian Fiction Series: India |volume=3|place=Bloomington; London |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/worldofpremchand0000unse_p0o9/page/n15/mode/2up 13]|isbn=0-253-19500-4}}</ref>

In his last days, he focused on village life as a stage for complex drama, as seen in the novel ''Godaan'' (1936) and the short-story collection ''Kafan'' (1936).<ref name="DavidRubin1994"/> Premchand believed that [[social realism]] was the way for [[Hindi literature]], as opposed to the "feminine quality", tenderness and emotion of the contemporary [[Bengali literature]].<ref name="Sheldon2003"/>