Sentence:  In the notes he wrote for "Nana", his novel about a <WSD>courtesan</WSD> in Second Empire Paris, Zola imagined ‘a whole society hurling itself' at her body, ‘a pack of hounds  after a bitch, who is not even on heat and makes fun of the hounds following her'. This might also describe the life of Harriette Wilson, whose unguarded pursuit by the leaders of the British aristocracy, the army, the government and opposition made her the most desired, and then the most dangerous, woman in Regency London. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A female prostitute, especially one with high-status or wealthy clients.