Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 12:19:55 -0400

From: Elizabeth Gibbens gibbens[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NYTIMES.COM

Subject: "Privilege" as a Verb



To Everyone--



In postmodern literary criticism, it is often said that the author

is "privileged" or that we "privilege" certain writers over others. Is

anyone familiar with the early uses of the word with this sense? Could you

share your citations and observations about it with me? Mr. Safire wants to

write about this verb in an upcoming column.



Thank you.



Elizabeth Gibbens

Elizabeth Gibbens

Researcher

William Safire's "On Language"

The New York Times