Astrology And Literature: Jane Eyre Vs. Elizabeth Bennett, Cage Match!
“The note was imediately dispatched, but the rider was met with a group of freshly unearthed zombies on the road and dragged off to his demise. The note was dispatched a second time with more success, and its contents as quickly complied with.”
–Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Seth Grahame-Smith
Currently there’s a thread on the boards asking which do you prefer, Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre? I like them both very much but have a definite preference for Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre and Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice. I’ve read more than one book by each and my impression is that Bronte expresses Venus Pluto with a side of Saturn while Austen is more Venus Saturn with a side of Pluto. So I got to thinking, does the actual astrology support this?
Charts for both authors are available on astrotheme.com, complete with birth times, which strikes me first as surprising and then suspicious. How are birth times from 1816 and 1775 known? I take them with a huge shaker of salt. Charlotte Bronte’s chart is here, and Jane Austen’s is here. In any case I was surprised at a distinct similarity: both have Moon Saturn. Bronte has the conjunction in airy Aquarius while Austen has it in airy Libra. Austen’s Moon sign is more known for closeness and Bronte’s for space.
I had expected to see more Pluto influence in Bronte’s chart. Still Pluto squares both Mars and Neptune, and if the birth time is to be believed, she had Sun and Mercury in the 8th house. Austen, on the other hand has more Pluto than I thought to find, with Mars conjunct Pluto and Venus in Scorpio. With my own Venus in Aries in the 8th and an Aquarian 7th house cusp, I may have a prejudice for seeing depth in detachment and a sort of arrogant manner. Bronte had Venus and Mercury in Aries and writes from that perspective.
One similarity of note between them is a Pluto, Mars, Chiron similarity. Bronte had Pluto conjunct Chiron square Mars. Austen had Pluto conjunct Mars square Chiron. Clearly both explored deep woundedness (on individual and societal levels) in a personal way. With their Saturn Moons both understood emotional restriction. I call it a draw.
Do you know the astrology of your favorite writers?
21 Responses to “Astrology And Literature: Jane Eyre Vs. Elizabeth Bennett, Cage Match!”
seeing their chart and noting small bits of synastry as to why you like them so much is such fun!
I do not, unfortunately, though I did take a quick look at Neil Gaiman on astrotheme not too long ago (I don’t remember anything significant, however).
I didn’t want to say anything on the thread, but your assessment of Bronte as more Venus-Pluto with a dash of Saturn surprised me, since I’ve always gotten a strong Venus-Pluto vibe from Austen. I’m not surprised by Venus in Scorpio in her chart. 
It’s uncanny, though, how many similarities the two share!
There is no angst in Jane Austen.
night_owl, that reminds me of the 70′s punk song Pablo Picasso! 
I have to admit, SaD, there was some projecting going on for my part before actually seeing the charts!
Karen Blixen Moon conjunct Pluto, Venus in Aries
As a French major, my studies led me to become more aquainted with French literature. I would say my favorite author is Victor Hugo. I have always found Les Miserables to be absolutely tragic and he wrote a poem that puts me to tears.
So, I looked up his chart
http://www.astrotheme.com/portraits/DWNZ3j5u7rNN.htm
It’s not surprising to find that he has written about such painful tragedy when I see the natal Sun-Pluto conjunction in Scorpio – also conjunct Venus (stellium in Pisces) with a Saturn-Jupiter conjunction in direct opposition.
Not Scorpio – Pisces!
I have no idea why I wrote Scorpio!
@satori, it’s okay. We all do it!
It’s like Trent Reznor (of NIN)… I’ve always gotten such a strong Pluto/Scorp vibe from him! Nope. Stellium in Gemini, though!
He does have that Pluto-Uranus conjunction in Virgo, however, that aspects his Asc and a Scorp MC. That might be why I read “Pluto” from him.
Sylvia Plath – N Node in pisces opp venus jupiter (exact) neptune in virgo. sun sq saturn. saturn opp pluto.
sun and merc in scorp. was into astrology.
Flannery O’Connor – Sun Moon Merc Chiron Aries stellium. Venus Uranus conj in Pisces.
Kite with Jupiter at top, pluto at tail, and saturn and the venus uranus conj on the sides.
Anna Akhmatova – exact nn and chiron conj in cancer, conj sun and merc and mars. opp jupiter in capricorn (which conjuncts stalin’s sadge sun). saturn sq venus. Her asteroid is # 3067.
Marina Tsvetaeva – air grand trine with sun/merc in libra trine aqua mars and pluto/neptune conjunct in gemini.
Possibly nn conjunct moon opp bml/uranus – her daughter starved to death after the revolution 
– and I think her son did too in WWII? I don’t remember. Venus/chiron conjuct. Her asteroid is # 3511
maybe we underestimate the pluto in austen because our reference period is so different? 1775 – wow! i always liked austen. now i have to read jane eyre!
Thanks Satori! The astrology helps me see the way they shape their fantasy male characters a lot more clearly – Bronte’s with Pluto-Mars-Neptune and the attraction to anger and manliness in Venus in Aries that she evidently likes despite the Moon-Saturn facade and restriction, and Austen with the socially reserved but witty Moon-Saturn in Libra and sexual undertones of Venus in Scorpio and Mars-Pluto in the guise of powerful, wealthy men who control their emotions and past, and the socially appriopriate but sexy/angry banter.
And sorry, love, but I beg to differ – Austen had angst, but was not in a social milieu where people were encouraged to be emo and show it and act out – and so it shows up differently in that period. It is in the ridicule of religious fervour, voracious reading and love of performance, in the wildness of the outdoors, men with secret backgrounds that smell distinctly of money or sex, a keen eye on the political and economic changes around her, the tenuous situation her characters are in due to financial circumstances and need to rely on men, sensitivity to sexual undertones and scandals, and how that energy is present in the world around her characters. Also don’t forget her ironic view of goldigging, as we would say in modern terms, but mingled with angst and frustration at how the game has to be played evenly despite the different power between the sexes and classes at the time. Venus Scorpio, Mars-Pluto, Moon-Saturn.
What I’m curious about is why so many women love these two novels in particular…is it the pluto? saturn? MC?
I think that if your novel is zombified 300+ years later, it’s a sign that you have some Pluto
I always found the Mercury method to hold value. Speakers and writers with the same Mercury sign as us seem to resonate…we ‘get’ what they’re saying.
Hey starkttn, you should be a writer! Well said.
Thanks for posting this! These are my top two favorite writers of that era. I have a B.A. and M.A. in English, and my focus was Brit Lit of the 19th Century. I knew that Jane Austen had a Moon-Saturn conjunction, but did not know that Bronte did also. I would say that Jane Eyre is one of my favorite novels of all time — so amazingly soulful and intelligently written. It makes more sense to me know that I have always connected so strongly with Bronte as well as Austen because I have a Moon-Saturn conjunction in my own chart as well! Thanks again.
Wow this is wonderful Satori! I love both writers dearly and this astrology background was intriguing. No wonder I like them, I have similar affinity through aspects (Moon Saturn and PlutoVenusSaturn) Its hard to say which I like more because they are different but similar
I do like up the astrology of writers as well as musicians. composers, directors and such. Im studying romantic composers at college and in class Im continueously going to astrotheme to check their charts when learning about them and their music. Its always fun and adds a new level.
*LOL @Jilly* Oh, snap!!
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Nope.
But now I want to peek at Byron…oh, and Hunter S. Thompson…and Tom Robbins…
Ut-oh…new fascination alert in 3.2..1…!