Jane Austen Character Throwdown: Who is the most insufferable?

Last week's throwdown was almost a character assassination, in which you preferred the Meryton Assembly over the Crown Inn Ball by a wide margin. This week we concentrate on two individuals who do NOT warm the cockles of our hearts: two haughty and rich spinsters who have yet to attract a man despite their fine connections and upbringing. Our question this week is

Which woman is the most insufferable?

Caroline Bingley, Pride and Prejudice

Charles Bingley's younger sister is rich, snobbish and attractive, but not particularly talented or smart. Feeling superior in every way to the Bennet sisters, she cannot understand Mr. Darcy's attraction to Elizabeth and disparages her at every opportunity. Her father's money comes from trade, but in an age when great fortunes matter almost as much as connections and breeding, the Bingleys move among the social elite. She will bring to her husband an impressive marriage portion, as well as her insufferable pride. As two-faced as they come, she pretends to like Jane while secretly undermining her relationship with Bingley, who she hopes will marry Georgiana Darcy.

Elizabeth Elliot, Persuasion

Elizabeth Elliot comes from good breeding and her family is mentioned in Debrett's Baronatege, but her father has squandered the family fortune. A striking woman, well-connected, and her father's hostess, she possesses a high opinion of herself, lording it over her younger sisters. Like her father, she is vain and primarily concerned with keeping up appearances and associating with the right sort of people. Nearing thirty, haughty Elizabeth is staring spinsterhood in the face, for no one except William Elliot (who has rejected her) is of high enough birth to suit her taste.

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Jane Austen Character Throwdown: Most Insufferable

Caroline Bingley Elizabeth Elliot