How did Gustave Flaubert combine Romanticism and realism in his novels?

Gustave Flaubert reconciled his innate Romantic idealism with the principles of realism by using his poetic gifts to examine the banality of modern life. While he is regarded as a prime mover of the realist school, he rejected the notion of simply transcribing a "slice of life" in everyday language, believing instead that only art could give meaning to the raw material of the external world.12

In his major novels, such as Madame Bovary and Sentimental Education, Flaubert fused lyrical, poetic style with objective, analytical portrayals of bourgeois society. He often depicted characters who, like Emma Bovary, are trapped in provincial dullness and attempt to live out the romanticized notions of passion and happiness they gathered from popular romance literature. By contrasting these internal, romantic illusions with the harsh, corrosive reality of their environments, Flaubert created a drily ironic narrative voice that remained unobtrusive yet sharply critical. Additionally, he explored his fascination with Romantic excess and exoticism in works like Salammbo and The Temptation of Saint Anthony, demonstrating his ability to operate across both modes.2