When we were talking about key words in Benjamin’s essay, we mentioned the word “aura”. Professor Phillips brought up the point that there was an aura to the room when we were looking at the rare books. I definitely felt that. It was not an ordinary experience to see those books and it felt like I learned more about them and wanted to learn more about them because of the feeling that there was in the room.
I totally agree with the idea of an aura. When I was flipping through those old books, I felt like I was using a more delicate touch than when I usually flip through books. I felt like, with those books, there was something that inherently made them more special than others, which I would have to say was the aura created by their age.
The books have presence about them, almost as if they have a character all there own. These books were around long before your great grandparents were alive, they have been seen by countless people, most of who are no longer alive.