In browsing around classical texts, I have narrowed my project down to looking at Athena is Homer’s Odyssey. Athena is a really interesting character throughout Greek myth, as a goddess with both a masculine and feminine roll and by acting very masculinity. Even her birth sets her apart from other goddesses, as she sprung from Zeus’ head. While this was because Zeus had swallowed his wife Metis (for prophecy reasons), Athena was born essentially only by Zeus, without the womanly part of childbirth. In this way she is already separated from femininity. Her roles also separate her, as they are both masculine, warfare, and feminine, craft.
Athena’s interesting gender role is what I decided to focus on, specifically in the Odyssey. Throughout the story she works to help bring Odysseus home to Ithaca and also helps Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, reach adulthood. Within the story, she more often appears in disguise, similar to Odysseus. More often than not, these disguises are male, throwing an interesting light on her own gender and its strangeness.
For reading I have this article on how Athena and Penelope act as foils to Odysseus. I think all of it is interesting but for the sake of brevity I would focus in on the Athena parts. Secondly, and completely optional, I might recommend a quick spark notes reading of the Odyssey, just to help you understand what is going on if you haven’t already read it.
Transgression In Action 