There are five Bennet sisters in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, and Lydia.
The sisters live with their parents, Mr and Mrs Bennet, at Longbourn in Hertfordshire. Because the family estate is entailed through the male line, Mrs Bennet is anxious to see her daughters make advantageous marriages. This inheritance problem creates much of the novel’s social and financial tension.
The sisters have sharply contrasting personalities. Jane is the eldest and notably kind; Elizabeth is witty and the protagonist; Mary is serious and eager to display her accomplishments; Catherine, usually called Kitty, follows the younger girls; and Lydia is flirtatious, impulsive, and irresponsible.
A frequent mistake is to count only the daughters who receive major romantic storylines. All five are Bennet sisters, even though Jane, Elizabeth, and Lydia receive the most narrative attention. Their different temperaments also allow Austen to explore manners, family pressure, reputation, and marriage in Regency-era society.