I know she has saintly qualities of forbearance and compassion and devotion and duty and patience and self-sacrifice and self-restraint... but it's the evidence of dry wit and at least a touch of irony or detachment that lets me enjoy her as a character.

Part of Elinor's humanity for me is that she's aware of her role as one who shoulders burdens for other people (takes care of business so her mother and sister can indulge their emotions)... she does it out of love, but she knows she's doing it, and sometimes she gets tired.