Final answer:
Realist novels during the 19th and early 20th centuries commonly explored the theme of the conflict between private and public life, with authors like Charles Dickens and Mark Twain portraying the societal challenges of the era.
Step-by-step explanation:
The conflict between private and public life was a common theme in Realist novels. Authors such as Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Gustave Flaubert, and American writers like Mark Twain and Sinclair Lewis created characters and plots that revolved around the challenges faced by individuals in the social and political changes of the time. Their works often depicted the struggle between the personal desires and the social expectations or conventions of their characters in the rapidly changing societies of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The rise of the middle class, the battle for social equality, and the need for social reform were common elements in these narratives, reflecting the Realists' commitment to referential narrative. These novels presented the duality of the human experience, where characters frequently confronted moral dilemmas or emotional issues stemming from the intersection of their private ambitions and the public roles they were expected to adhere to.