The high level of support enjoyed by the authoritarian regime in Russia has been interpreted as evidence of the reactionary character of Russian mass consciousness. We question this view by adopting a neo-Gramscian perspective on popular culture and common sense. We view common sense as protean, combining incongruous beliefs and ideological elements. Our study of Russian women’s fiction finds that contrary to the canons of the genre, Russian authors often display their ideological preferences openly. These can be either pro-government or oppositional, which, given the wide appeal of this literature, suggests that Russian mass common sense is politically diverse.