  This paper aims to understand the continuum of Seyfert 2 galaxies. By fitting
the single galaxies in the sample of Heckman et al. (1995) with composite
models (shock+ photoionization from the active center), we show that five main
components characterize the SED of the continuum. Shocks play an important role
since they produce a high temperature zone where soft X-rays are emitted.
  We show that in the optical-UV range, the slope of the NLR emission
reproduces the observed values, and may be the main component of the
featureless continuum. The presence of star forming regions cannot be excluded
in the circumnuclear region of various Seyfert galaxies. An attempt is made to
find their fingerprints in the observed AGN spectra. Finally, it is
demonstrated that multi-cloud models are necessary to interpret the spectra of
single objects, even in the global investigation of a sample of galaxies.

Astrophysics