June 12, 2025. The date is etched in his heart. On vacation in Brittany, Jean Forest wanted to check in on his daughter Marjolaine. The retired police officer did not want to disturb her by phone, knowing she had been extremely busy with work for weeks. Instead, he visited the website of the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon to stay updated on her activities. Marjolaine Forest, 51 years old and a doctor of literature, was supposed to organize a study day dedicated to the Romantic period. Did the conference go well? What were her new projects? Her parents did not want to bombard her with questions. They knew their daughter, single and in fragile health, was focused on her professional endeavors.
When he typed his daughter’s name in the search bar of his computer, the father saw «In memoriam» appear on his screen. A notice adorned with a chrysanthemum summarized Marjolaine Forest’s academic career at Université Lyon-II, where she was affiliated with the research laboratory of the Institute for the History of Representations and Ideas in Modernities (IHRIM). After the initial shock, Jean Forest felt his blood run cold as he realized he was reading a brief obituary announcing his daughter’s death.
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