Explain some of the various medieval literary forms. What were the differences between the literary forms?

There were a variety of literary forms at play during the Medieval Era. Many were religious, including confessions, revelations, and prayers. Confessions, like those of St. Augustine, are stories of personal experience and read like memoirs often do today. Revelations occur when people write what they understand to be the word of God (remember that the medieval world, generally speaking, interpreted religion more literally than we do today). Prayers are similar to poems in that...

There were a variety of literary forms at play during the Medieval Era. Many were religious, including confessions, revelations, and prayers. Confessions, like those of St. Augustine, are stories of personal experience and read like memoirs often do today. Revelations occur when people write what they understand to be the word of God (remember that the medieval world, generally speaking, interpreted religion more literally than we do today). Prayers are similar to poems in that they are meditative writings in which the speaker attempts to commune with the divine. 

Often religious but not always, allegories were also a common literary form. Allegories are instructional stories intended to convey what is right and wrong behavior.

There were also secular writings at play. In royal courts, troubadours entertained with their songs or extended lyrical poems. Similarly, sonnets, stories, and theatricals were also performed for the amusement of the courts. In English, the most oft-cited example is Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.