Hi Guys~

I loved the cynical [read:tsuwmy] quote from today's WAD ("stet"):

"I realize that I have silted myself into the debate as a typographical
neoconservative and a novitiate Barzunite, having insulted both pop
culture and the West, and implied an allegiance to elegance and the
author. I don't really want to mean this. Nevertheless, pls stet."
Janet Burroway; Language, Culture, And the Cop (sic) Editor;
The Chronicle of Higher Education (Washington, DC); Nov 7, 1997.(E.A.)

i'm intrigued by the word 'Barzunite'...i immediately filed it in mind along the ranks of 'luddite' and 'sybarite' and [my personal favourite] 'troglodyte', but i'm wondering instead if this is simply a reference to the author (Barzun? Barzune?) of whom the editor is speaking.

anyone know where 'barzunite' comes from, and if it's indeed a broader reference to an historical group of people...or just some author's name?

while you're at it, is there a specific rhetorical term for the metaphorical borrowing of a noun referring to a group of people for use in describing a person who shares that group's salient qualities? and can anyone think of other examples of this phenomenon?

cheers ;-)