Final answer:
Fitzgerald creates a melancholic mood through somber and descriptive language, using tone, diction, and vivid backdrop descriptions to reflect the era's underlying sadness contrasted with the superficial opulence.
Step-by-step explanation:
F. Scott Fitzgerald achieves a melancholic mood at the beginning of his chapters through the use of somber and descriptive language. This approach is evident in works like The Great Gatsby, where the language and setting reflect the underlying sadness and decay of the 1920s era, despite the seemingly lively and opulent surface. Engaging language that includes tone, diction, and varied sentence constructions, plays a significant role in conveying the mood. By describing environments and scenarios with an attention to emotional detail and using vocabulary that carries a heavy weight of meaning, Fitzgerald instills a sense of melancholy in the reader from the outset of his works.
Moreover, mentioning the color green as a symbol of hope amidst the decay and false purity symbolized by white and grey, Fitzgerald contrasts the vibrant life of the era with the inner sadness and emptiness of the characters' lives. Answer choice C, 'Through somber and descriptive language,' is the correct method used by Fitzgerald to create a melancholic mood at the beginning of his chapters.