Практическая грамматика

The sun was getting warmer. (Abrahams)
The bourgeoisie is cowardly. (London)
The indefinite article can be used when we mean a certain as­pect in which the sun, moon and sky appear to us, a certain state of the sun, the moon, the sky. In this case an attribute is used.
A pearl-white moon smiles through the green trees. (Ch. Bronte)

3. 
   With nouns used in a generic sense.
   

A noun used in a generic sense denotes a genus taken as a whole, a thing taken as a type, a genre.


The tiger has always had the reputation of being a man-eater.
The telephone was invented in the 19th century.
The tragedy and the comedy first appeared in Greece.

When the noun man is used in a generic sense no article is used.

Silas felt that his trust in man had been cruelly destroyed. (Eliot)

When the noun woman is used in a generic sense, it is used with the definite article or occasionally without an article.

He had always been interested in that mysterious being - the woman. (Bennett)

Woman is man's helpmate.

A noun used in a generic sense should not be confused with a noun used in a general sense.

A noun used in a general sense denotes an object regarded as an individual representative of a class.
A detective story helps to while away the time. (Every or any detective story is meant here.)
A noun in a generic sense denotes the whole class.
Conan Doyle is a master of the detective story. (The detective story is regarded here as a certain genre.)


§ 3. The use of articles with class nouns modified by attributes.
The definite article is used when a noun is modified by an at­tribute, which shows that a particular object is meant i. e. by an attribute, which might be called a