View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/everything-you-need-to-know-to-read-mary-shelley-s-frankenstein-iseult-gillespie

In 1815, Lord Byron proposed a challenge to a few literary guests he had gathered in his house on Lake Geneva: Who could write the most chilling ghost story? This question sparked an idea in eighteen-year-old Mary Shelley who, over the next few months, crafted the story of “Frankenstein.” Iseult Gillespie shares everything you need to know to read Mary Shelley’s classic novel.

Lesson by Iseult Gillespie, animation by Silvia Prietov.