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