The twenty short stories in A Change of Class were published by F. Scott Fitzgerald between September 1931 and March 1937. Fitzgerald wrote these stories for money, which he badly needed. His wife was being treated at expensive sanitariums and he was heavily in debt to his publisher and literary agent. The stories in A Change of Class are not all among Fitzgerald's best, but they are important in his career. They concern the Great Depression, social striving, class divisions, and professionalism. Several are set in the world of medicine and depict the lives of doctors, nurses, and their patients. The writing is strong, with vivid descriptions and sharp dialogue. A Change of Class provides freshly edited texts, based on surviving manuscripts and typescripts. Important readings, edited out or censored by magazine publishers, have been restored. The volume includes facsimiles, historical annotations, and a full record of emendation.
