The legend of [[Faust]] is central to the novel. According to Charles Arrowsmith in the Guardian, "The Faustus subplot indicates Knausgård's literary model as well as providing an interpretive lens for the reader".{{Cite web |last=Arrowsmith |first=Charles |date=November 25, 2025 |title=The School of Night by Karl Ove Knausgård review – can this sprawling epic deliver on its promise? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/25/the-school-of-night-by-karl-ove-knausgard-review |url-status=live |access-date=February 17, 2026 |website=The Guardian}} Randy Boyagoda notes in the New York Times that the twenty-four-year gap between the end of Part Two and the beginning of Part Three, during which Kristian gains great prominence in his field, is the same number of years Lucifer spares Faust to achieve unlimited knowledge and power, according to the legend.{{Cite web |last=Boyagoda |first=Randy |date=January 20 2026 |title=Karl Ove Knausgaard Crafts a Deal With the Devil |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/books/review/karl-ove-knausgaard-school-of-night.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 17, 2026 |website=The New York Times}} Knausgaard chooses [[Deptford]] (where he himself lives) as the location of Kristian's flat; Kristian mentions his discovery that Marlowe was killed in the area of London where he lives. Knausgaard has also spoken of the influence [[Thomas Mann]]'s novelistic adaptation of the Faust legend, ''[[Doctor Faustus (novel)|Doctor Faustus]]'', had on him as a young man.{{cite web |last1=Weingarten |first1=Marc |title=Karl Ove Knausgaard on ‘The School of Night’ |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/newsletter/2026-02-07/book-club-karl-ove-knausgaard-the-school-of-night |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}

The legend of [[Faust]] is central to the novel. According to Charles Arrowsmith in the Guardian, "The Faustus subplot indicates Knausgård's literary model as well as providing an interpretive lens for the reader".{{Cite web |last=Arrowsmith |first=Charles |date=November 25, 2025 |title=The School of Night by Karl Ove Knausgård review – can this sprawling epic deliver on its promise? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/25/the-school-of-night-by-karl-ove-knausgard-review |url-status=live |access-date=February 17, 2026 |website=The Guardian}} Randy Boyagoda notes in the New York Times that the twenty-four-year gap between the end of Part Two and the beginning of Part Three, during which Kristian gains great prominence in his field, is the same number of years Lucifer spares Faust to achieve unlimited knowledge and power, according to the legend.{{Cite web |last=Boyagoda |first=Randy |date=January 20 2026 |title=Karl Ove Knausgaard Crafts a Deal With the Devil |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/books/review/karl-ove-knausgaard-school-of-night.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 17, 2026 |website=The New York Times}} Knausgaard chooses [[Deptford]] (where he himself lives) as the location of Kristian's flat; Kristian mentions his discovery that Marlowe was killed in the area of London where he lives. Knausgaard has also spoken of the influence [[Thomas Mann]]'s novelistic adaptation of the Faust legend, ''[[Doctor Faustus (novel)|Doctor Faustus]]'', had on him as a young man.{{cite web |last1=Weingarten |first1=Marc |title=Karl Ove Knausgaard on ‘The School of Night’ |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/newsletter/2026-02-07/book-club-karl-ove-knausgaard-the-school-of-night |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}

As a portrait of the artist as a young man, the novel can in part be considered as belonging to the [[Künstlerroman]] genre. At the same time, Kristian is a despicable character, continually treating others—strangers, friends, and family alike—thoughtlessly. In fact, his father describes him as a narcissist. James Cahill points out in the Times Literary Supplement, "Part of what makes the novel riveting, even in its more eventless phases, is Knausgaard's ability to inhabit the mind of such a person".{{Cite web |last=Cahill |first=James |date=November 28, 2025 |title=Knausgaard in Deptford |url=https://www.the-tls.com/literature/fiction/the-school-of-night-karl-ove-knausgaard-book-review-james-cahill |url-status=live |access-date=February 17, 2026 |website=Times Literary Supplement}} Max Liu, writing for the Financial Times, applauds translator Martin Aitkins' ability to capture Knausgaard's deadpan humour when rendering such a personality, a feature of the writing that Liu feels wanes in the book's more solemn second half.{{cite web |last1=Liu |first1=Max |title=The School of Night by Karl Ove Knausgaard — the author's struggle continues |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a7281630-2803-4196-a8e3-9b6ca446814d |website=The Financial Times |access-date=February 18, 2026}} With direction from Knausgaard, a forensic artist drew a portrait of Kristian, whose physical features are intentionally omitted in the novel.{{cite web |last1=Leitz |first1=Karl |title=A Forensic Artist Brings the Protagonist of Karl Over Knausgaard’s New Character to Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/t-magazine/forensic-art-knausgaard-school-of-night.html |website=New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}

As a portrait of the maturation of an artist, the novel can be considered as belonging to the [[Künstlerroman]] genre. Kristian's growth as an artist, with photography as his medium, is well-documented in the first half of the novel. However, Kristian's personality experiences no such maturtion. He remains an unempathetic person, continually treating others—strangers, friends, and family alike—thoughtlessly. In fact, his father describes him as a narcissist. James Cahill points out in the Times Literary Supplement, "Part of what makes the novel riveting, even in its more eventless phases, is Knausgaard's ability to inhabit the mind of such a person".{{Cite web |last=Cahill |first=James |date=November 28, 2025 |title=Knausgaard in Deptford |url=https://www.the-tls.com/literature/fiction/the-school-of-night-karl-ove-knausgaard-book-review-james-cahill |url-status=live |access-date=February 17, 2026 |website=Times Literary Supplement}} Max Liu, writing for the Financial Times, applauds translator Martin Aitkins' ability to capture Knausgaard's deadpan humour when rendering such a personality, a feature of the writing that Liu feels wanes in the book's more solemn second half.{{cite web |last1=Liu |first1=Max |title=The School of Night by Karl Ove Knausgaard — the author's struggle continues |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a7281630-2803-4196-a8e3-9b6ca446814d |website=The Financial Times |access-date=February 18, 2026}} With direction from Knausgaard, a forensic artist drew a portrait of Kristian, whose physical features are intentionally omitted in the novel.{{cite web |last1=Leitz |first1=Karl |title=A Forensic Artist Brings the Protagonist of Karl Over Knausgaard’s New Character to Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/t-magazine/forensic-art-knausgaard-school-of-night.html |website=New York Times |access-date=February 27, 2026}}

Although the novel belongs firmly to The Morning Star series in sharing its interest in portraying a supernatural, fantastical and even occult world, it departs structurally from the previous novels, as noted by Leyla Sanai, in focusing on a single character's viewpoint rather than consisting of many sections each presenting the experiences of a different character.{{cite web |last1=Sanai |first1=Leyla |title=A Faustian Pact: The School of Night by Karl Ove Knausgaard |url=https://www.spectator.com.au/2025/11/a-faustian-pact-the-school-of-night-by-karl-ove-knausgaard-reviewed/ |website=Spectator Australia |access-date=February 27, 2026}} The book jacket design for the hardcover edition is different as well from the previous three North American volumes as it follows instead the UK format. Some North American readers may feel these differences lend a more "stand-alone" quality to this instalment in the series

Although the novel belongs firmly to The Morning Star series in sharing its interest in portraying a supernatural, fantastical and even occult world, it departs structurally from the previous novels, as noted by Leyla Sanai, in focusing on a single character's viewpoint rather than consisting of many sections each presenting the experiences of a different character.{{cite web |last1=Sanai |first1=Leyla |title=A Faustian Pact: The School of Night by Karl Ove Knausgaard |url=https://www.spectator.com.au/2025/11/a-faustian-pact-the-school-of-night-by-karl-ove-knausgaard-reviewed/ |website=Spectator Australia |access-date=February 27, 2026}} The book jacket design for the hardcover edition is different as well from the previous three North American volumes as it follows instead the UK format. Some North American readers may feel these differences lend a more "stand-alone" quality to this instalment in the series