Canadian women of the 19th century wanted to be ladies, and many works of fiction offered advice on how they could achieve this through ideal, ladylike conduct. This study traces the tradition of conduct fiction in the works of 19th-century women writers such as Mary Herbert, Rosanna Leprohon, Sara Jeannette Duncan and L. M. Montgomery. What should a young lady wear to a ball? How many glasses of punch should she drink? Should she take second helpings, or accept presents from a gentleman? These and other fascinating questions are addressed in a study that will be of interest not just to students of Canadian Literature, but also to social and cultural historians as well as to the general reader.