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whyvswhynot12089 t1_ja1yykt wrote

In the context of a story told to you for entertainment purposes...yeah, it's still a mystery. (Just like a Romance novel is still a romance novel even if a lover dies at the end. ) We're talking about the context of stories and genre.

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Tucker_the_Nerd OP t1_ja1zj6d wrote

I was thinking more along the lines of: It's a mystery whatever happened to my hat. I found out my dog buried my hat in the yard...so it's no longer a mystery.

Now, a mystery novel will always remain a mystery novel, even if you read the solution.

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whyvswhynot12089 t1_ja4v0qh wrote

Yeah. It's obvious what you were thinking along the lines of...real life situations. But those don't apply here. It doesn't matter if it's a book or TV. Genres still apply whenever a story is being told. People who search for "mystery" books or films, are specifically searching for a "who done it" scenario where the crime is always solved by the end. And part of the fun is trying to figure out the answer...because you know there is one.

"Unsolved Mysteries" is telling crime stories that can't be solved and have no answer....which breaks away from everything "Mystery" as a genre, is defined by. Therefore "Unsolved Mysteries" is not redundant.

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