Topic on Forum:Trope Talk

This is actually correct.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the

b —used as a function word to indicate that a following noun or noun equivalent is a unique or a particular member of its class <the President> <the Lord>
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a —used as a function word before a singular noun to indicate that the noun is to be understood generically <the dog is a domestic animal>
b —used as a function word before a singular substantivized adjective to indicate an abstract idea <an essay on the sublime>