"The Other Sex" is a novel in which Emile Zola reflects the life of the Parisian bourgeoisie of the 19th century. The main character, Thérèse Rakin, confronts the corrupt society and its standards with depressing stubbornness, striving to discover new horizons of freedom and self-determination. Against the background of intrigues, betrayals and scandals, the author develops the idea of the possibility of liberation from moral barriers and imposed stereotypes. "Other Sex" is a frank attempt to undermine established ideas about morality and sexuality, to offer an alternative view of human relationships and one's own place in the world.