Body: "Prose fiction" is Prose fiction. Extended prose fiction is the latest of the literary forms to develop. We have romances from Classical Greek times that are as long as short novels; but they are really tales of adventure—vastly extended anecdotes.
A few notable experts of "Prose fiction" include Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Victor Hugo.
Why study "Prose fiction"? Fiction broadly refers to any narrative that is derived from the imagination—in other words, not based strictly on history or fact. It can also refer, more narrowly, to narratives written only in prose.
Historical Novel, Bildungsroman, Gothic Novel are a few categories of "Prose fiction".