I had in mind many of the things you said, actually. Caroline in LBD is perceptive and manipulative. She quickly figured out what made Lizzie tick and successfully used it to her own advantage. She knew exactly how to play on Bing's insecurities and how to get Darcy to help her separate him from Jane--even how to make Darcy believe he'd been primarily responsible for doing so. Only when Darcy watched the videos and found out what she had done did she become desperate and act irrationally. I like her despite herself, because I sympathize with her fear of losing the most important people in her life.
I'm overdue for an Emma re-read, but as I recall Augusta is shallow, self-important, and spiteful, but not intelligent or industrious enough to actually fight for what she believes is important. Caroline is a more interesting person, and I see the potential for improvement in her. That being said, Elton is hardly going to bring out the best in her.
There, now you inspired me onto a tangent :).
I'm overdue for an Emma re-read, but as I recall Augusta is shallow, self-important, and spiteful, but not intelligent or industrious enough to actually fight for what she believes is important. Caroline is a more interesting person, and I see the potential for improvement in her. That being said, Elton is hardly going to bring out the best in her.
There, now you inspired me onto a tangent :).