With wit and insight, Thomas J. Roberts reassesses popular writing forms, such as westerns, romances, and fantasies, that are often denigrated and explores the motives and experiences of readers of these genres. Drawing widely from literary criticism, the sociology and psychology of literature, and popular culture, "An Aesthetics of Junk Fiction" is an incisive examination of our discretionary reading tastes and a pioneering work in establishing new criteria for evaluating vernacular literature.