Complex sentence: Gustave Flaubert (12 December 1821--8 May 1880) was an influential French novelist who was perhaps the leading exponent of literary realism in his country.
Split into simpler sentences: Gustave Flaubert (12 December 1821--8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country.