Story so far
Jane Bennet marries Mr. Bingley and lives at Netherfield for a year before they purchase an estate near Derbyshire. The move wisely separates them from the constant pressure of Longbourn and Meryton while keeping Jane within thirty miles of Elizabeth at Pemberley.
Jane's charity endures even toward the people who once injured her: Miss Bingley's congratulatory professions are not trusted, but receive a kinder answer than they deserve. Her happiness with Bingley is founded on shared gentleness and affection, and her home becomes one of the stabilising centres of the family after the Bennet sisters' marriages.
Appearance
She is a beautiful Englishwoman whose beauty is the most striking in her family; her hair, eyes, complexion, figure, and clothing are not specifically described.
Role
She is Bingley's wife and Elizabeth's enduringly gentle sister, whose marriage completes the novel's first great union.
Relationships
Miss Bingley — Miss Bingley offers insincere civility after the marriage, which Jane answers with more kindness than reliance.
Sources — 23 recorded facts, by chapter
Chapter 1
- A Bennet daughter whom her mother considers the family's handsomest prospect.
Chapter 3
- The beautiful eldest Bennet daughter, quietly gratified by Bingley's marked admiration at the assembly.
Chapter 4
- The beautiful, candid eldest Bennet sister, sincerely admiring Bingley and inclined to think well of his sisters.
Chapter 5
- The beautiful, candid eldest Bennet sister, quietly admiring Bingley and offering Darcy the benefit of doubt.
Chapter 6
- The beautiful, composed eldest Bennet sister whose guarded affection for Bingley is growing toward love.
Chapter 7
- The beautiful, composed eldest Bennet sister, now ill at Netherfield after riding there through rain.
Chapter 8
- The beautiful eldest Bennet sister, increasingly ill at Netherfield while Bingley's concern proves more genuine than his sisters' care.
Chapter 9
- The beautiful eldest Bennet sister, recovering slowly at Netherfield while her mother prolongs the stay that Bingley welcomes.
Chapter 10
- The beautiful eldest Bennet sister, recovering enough to leave her room and soon return from Netherfield.
Chapter 11
- The beautiful eldest Bennet sister, visibly recovering as Bingley's warm attention makes his attachment hard to mistake.
Chapter 12
- The beautiful eldest Bennet sister, recovered enough to leave Netherfield despite Bingley's sincere wish that she remain.
Chapter 17
- Jane receives Bingley's invitation with happiness while refusing to condemn either Darcy or Wickham on an account she cannot reconcile.
Chapter 18
- Jane's quiet happiness with Bingley survives the Netherfield ball's surrounding awkwardness and appears, to Elizabeth, close to secure.
Chapter 21
- Jane receives Caroline's news of a winter in London with quiet alarm, though Elizabeth persuades her not to surrender hope at once.
Chapter 24
- Jane learns that Bingley is settled in London and meets disappointment with gentleness, refusing to accuse him or those who hope to separate them.
Chapter 26
- In London, Jane discovers Caroline's friendship has cooled into avoidance and accepts the loss without surrendering her habitual charity.
Chapter 34
- Jane's graceful self-command is revealed as the quality that led Darcy to mistake her deep love for Bingley as indifference.
Chapter 38
- Jane receives the truth about Darcy and Wickham with sorrowful charity, while her love for Bingley remains undiminished.
Chapter 44
- Jane becomes the steady correspondent at Longbourn, reporting Lydia's flight while still trying to believe Wickham cannot intend irreparable harm.
Chapter 51
- Jane meets Bingley's return with calm dignity, though Elizabeth can see that his presence has disturbed the composure she claims.
Chapter 52
- Jane accepts Bingley's revived attention with pleasure she insists is only friendly appreciation, protecting herself from renewed hope.
Chapter 53
- Jane accepts Bingley's proposal with astonished joy, then meets the truth of his past absence with her characteristic wish to forgive.
Chapter 59
- As Mrs. Bingley, Jane builds a happy home near Derbyshire and remains Elizabeth's nearest, gentlest companion.