Gondin da Fonseca does not cast much light on the relation of the French Revolution to the life of José Bonifácio. This work consists in the main of a historical essay lauding the French Revolution and a biographical essay on José Bonifácio depicting the Patriarch as a progressive who was essentially a Jacobin at heart.
The author observes that José Bonifácio was in Paris during the great days of the Revolution and could not help having come under its influence. The fact that he associated with some of the participants and later advocated enlightened policies is the only evidence offered for this.
In such circumstances, it is indeed hard to see how anyone could fail to have been influenced by the French Revolution, but surely this much can be adequately stated in a sentence or two. Without further details, it is hardly the subject for even a small book.
Although this work cannot be rated highly as a contribution to historical thought, it reads easily, contains some amusing anecdotes, and has a passionate if unscholarly tone which might arouse a deeper interest in the subject for some readers.
