Shannon,
This is a very different type of lens. I can see how having pessimistic views could really alter the way you read a text. I also read Cry, The Beloved Country, but always thought that everything would work out well in the end. I think in some ways I look at literature from an opposite prespective, but i think that I can sometimes set myself up to be disappointed, which is what you are able to avoid by using this type of lens.