Who is the eldest Bennet sister?

Jane Bennet is the eldest Bennet sister in Pride and Prejudice. She is the first-born of Mr and Mrs Bennet’s five daughters, followed by Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine (Kitty), and Lydia.

Jane is about 22 when the novel begins and is described as the most beautiful young woman in the neighbourhood. Her gentle, reserved personality contrasts with Elizabeth’s wit and more openly critical judgment. Jane habitually assumes the best of other people, even when Elizabeth is more suspicious of their motives.

Her storyline centres on her romance with Charles Bingley, the wealthy and amiable young man who rents Netherfield Park. Their relationship is disrupted when Bingley leaves Hertfordshire, partly because Darcy and Bingley’s sisters believe Jane’s feelings are not sufficiently strong. They are eventually reunited and marry. Readers sometimes confuse Jane’s position with Elizabeth’s because Elizabeth is the novel’s protagonist, but Elizabeth is the second-eldest Bennet daughter.