In this study, Antony Easthope argues that the typical discourses of Englishness are structured by a deep-rooted philosophic tradition: empiricism. He sustains his polemic through appeal to a wide array of instances from high and popular culture, ranging from philosophical and literary works through the daily press and aspects of the English sense of humour. This text asserts a profound continuity running through from the 17th to the late 20th century. Todays journalists, historians, novelists, poets, comedians and politicians may imagine they are speaking as themselves. They are mistaken, according the this study: ancestral voices speak through them.